What is this Feeling?
by longislandhottie9
Summary: My version of the episode "Throwdown". Includes real dialogue from the show. Title taken from the song "What is this Feeling?" from the Broadway musical Wicked.
1. Chapter 1

**My first attempt at Faberry. Tell me what you think!**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Glee.**

Rachel rubbed her eyes, trying to shake the other day's news out of her head. She had been absolutely stunned when Sue had announced her arrival as the glee club's co-director. Not that she didn't think the club needed a co-director, she just thought that someone else would be more suited for the position. Someone with a sense of authority. Someone with passion and determination. Someone like herself.

Rachel hit the OFF button on her alarm clock and jumped out of bed to hop on her elliptical machine. As she worked up a sweat, she ran through her list of possible reasons for Sue's position in the glee club. So far, she had only come up with three reasons.

One reason was obviously the whole vitamin D debacle. It had been Terri's fault for supplying the students with the drugs, and it had also been Principal Figgins' fault for hiring a nurse with no experience. This is why Rachel thought it was completely unfair that Mr. Schuester should be punished for their actions. Yes, it was his club and his responsibility, but he couldn't have known what was going on behind the scenes. Besides, it wasn't like they were buying marijuana from Mr. Ryerson…they were simply trying to add more energy to their performance. Rachel had to admit—there could've been a better way to liven their number, but the boys had cheated hadn't they? Either way, the competition was canceled and nobody's number was performed at sectionals. But, getting back to the point, maybe Figgins thought Mr. Schue could use some supervision from another teacher.

Another reason was what Sue had been set out to do all along; destroy the glee club. Rachel didn't know where her hatred for the club of misfits stemmed from, but she did know that ever since the club had been initiated, Sue had been out to obliterate it. This was a perfect way to do so. Being on the inside, Sue could do almost anything to the club and get away with it. Rachel had already figured it out; Sue would create some sort of crisis that would send glee into a downward tailspin and ruin their chances for winning at Regionals. Then, she would walk away and make it look as if they had hit the "self-destruct" button and she had nothing to do with it. Rachel was ready to take on the glee club if at all necessary…or not necessary. Either way, Rachel was preparing for the worst.

The last reason Rachel could think up was that Sue was in the club to keep an eye on her cheerleaders. Quinn, Santana, and Brittany were at the top of the squad and their reputation was in danger by being in glee. Glee wasn't exactly the best boost for popularity. Maybe Sue wanted to make sure they didn't turn into one of those "scab eating mouth breathers". Rachel cared about her reputation just as much as they did; she wanted to be known as the talented, friendly girl whom everyone looked up to and respected. But instead, she was known as the bossy, loud girl who dressed like a 3 year old. Although she didn't let it show, the way she was viewed bruised her self-esteem. She wished she could have a coach who cared enough about her to join the club she was in just to protect her. She had Mr. Schue but he didn't exactly guard her from the torrent of degrading names and flying slushies.

Rachel hopped off of her elliptical and walked to the kitchen to make her fruit breakfast smoothie. While the blender mixed the fruit and yogurt together, she ran over her theories. Her first idea mixed with her second guess was probably the reason Sue was now part of the club. However, she couldn't see how Figgins would have let HER be the co-director of glee. Mr. Schue and Sue working together in the same school was a train wreck…put them both in glee club and you might as well start preparing for the apocalypse.

Rachel poured her fruity drink into a glass and made her way upstairs to get ready for the school day.

XXXXX

Rachel bounced into the choir room, hardly noticing the tired faces of her fellow glee club members. It may have been 8:30 in the morning but Rachel was wide awake.

"Good morning everyone," she greeted the club. No one even glanced her way. Rachel was used to salutations such as these.

The brunette surveyed the people in front of her. Kurt and Mercedes were deep in conversation, probably discussing the latest trends in fashion. Santana and Brittany were sitting next to each other, Brittany sleeping on Santana's shoulder. For once, Santana didn't look as irritable as she usually was. Mike was drumming a beat only he could hear on his knee, looking over his friends. Rachel saw Artie and Tina smiling at each other and jealousy shot through her heart as her gaze snapped up to Finn and Quinn sitting together. Quinn was leaning on Finn's knee and Finn didn't exactly look disappointed at Quinn's close proximity. Quinn caught her staring and sent a glare her way, almost to say, 'He's mine. Deal with it.' The little green monster inside of her reared its head and she looked away.

"Hey guys," Mr. Schuester said tiredly as he entered the choir room. Rachel scurried to sit in the empty chair behind Mercedes.

"Please tell me Coach Sylvester isn't still the co-director," Tina remarked.

Mr. Schue sighed and pulled out a chair to sit on. "Sorry guys," he began. "But Principal Figgins thought I needed some help running the club after the whole vitamin D fiasco."

Rachel mentally prided herself for figuring out the reason for Sue's sudden entrance.

"Anyway," Mr. Schue went on. "Is there any music in particular you guys want to do?"

"Can we try something a little more black?" Mercedes asked. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"I agree," Kurt acquiesced. "We do an awful lot of show tunes." Rachel scoffed.

"It's called glee club, not crunk club," Rachel cuttingly replied. Kurt should know better than to affront show tunes in her presence.

Mercedes abruptly turned in her seat and glared at Rachel with daggers in her eyes. "Don't make me take you to the carpet," she threatened. Rachel leaned a little farther back in her chair.

"Fantastic," Mr. Schue interjected. "Thank you Mercedes, Kurt. Duly noted. Anything else?"

"I can pop and lock," Mike said tentatively.

"Not really what we're going for, Mike. But noted. Noted…yes," Mr. Schue replied. Rachel fought the smile that was creeping its way onto her face.

The bell rang and all the glee kids slowly stood up and walked into the slowly crowding hallway. Mr. Schue also left, since he had a class to teach next period. Rachel picked her binder up off the floor, and all of her sheet music came pouring out the bottom of it. The only people left in the choir room were Finn, Quinn, and herself. As she scrambled around on the floor trying to pick up her stray papers, she saw Finn kneel down a little to the left of her and start to pick up her sheets.

"You don't have to do that," Rachel said quietly. She hid behind her long curtain of hair to hide from the fact that she was blushing profusely.

"It's alright; if it had been me, you would've done the same thing," Finn replied. Rachel looked up as he handed her the rest of her music. She took it and carelessly stuffed it back into her pink binder. She saw a hand in front of her face and she gently placed her fingers in Finn's palm, and let him help her up off the dirty floor. Rachel's breath caught in her throat, something that was a normal occurrence when she was with Finn.

Rachel found her voice by the time she was standing up, looking up into Finn's moony face. "Thank you, Finn," she said. "It's not every day that someone is as considerate to me as you are." When she spoke her last words, she pointedly looked at Quinn. Quinn uncrossed her arms and defiantly placed her hands on her hips. She narrowed her eyes and stared the brunette down until she uneasily looked away.

"You're welcome," Finn replied with that dopey grin on his face. "I gotta go; don't wanna be late for Spanish." Rachel was at a loss for words again, so she simply nodded as he untwined their fingers and turned to Quinn. "Come on, Quinn. Let's go." Rachel made herself busy collecting the rest of her books off her chair as the green monster inside of her, once again, reared its nasty head.

"No," Quinn firmly responded. "Go on without me. I'll be there soon enough." Rachel looked up just in time to catch Finn's confused expression. The brunette was just as confused as he was, and that's a difficult technique to master.

"Um…OK," Finn said reluctantly. He sounded as if he wanted to protest, but Quinn was in her Head Bitch in Charge mode, and didn't look as if she should be messed with. Finn walked out of the classroom, stumbling on his way out the door. Quinn then turned her steely gaze on the tiny diva in front of her.

"I'll leave," Rachel said quickly. She turned on her heel and marched toward the door.

"Hang on Man Hands; I didn't say you could go."

Rachel winced at her "nickname" and slowly turned back around. "Yes, Quinn?" she answered in a steady tone.

Quinn slowly stalked down the risers toward the brunette not shifting her gaze for a second. Just as Quinn opened her mouth to say something, her ankle caught on the leg of a chair and she tumbled to the floor her hands instinctively flying out to catch herself. She winced in pain as her stomach dropped onto the hard surface below her.

"Quinn!" Rachel dropped her books and ran towards the blonde. Quinn gasped at the pain in her middle. She tried to lift herself off the ground but the pain in her torso was too much. Rachel skidded to a stop in front of the cheerleader and, without a second thought, looped her arms under Quinn's armpits and hoisted her onto the nearest chair. Quinn enjoyed the pressure being lifted off of her and her arms immediately flew to clutch at her aching stomach.

"Quinn," Rachel repeated, but this time, in a much softer tone. Her eyes darted to the blonde's hands which were clenching her sides, her knuckles white. "Quinn, are you alright?" Quinn made an inaudible sound.

"Quinn," Rachel said again, only much firmer. She knelt next to the blonde and asked, "Was it the…the baby?" Rachel was still processing the fact that Quinn was pregnant, even though it'd been nearly two weeks since she found out.

"I…don't know." Quinn's voice was just above a whisper.

"I hope not," Rachel responded.

"I do," Quinn whispered. She turned to look at Rachel's shocked expression and she nearly laughed. "Why do you care?" Her voice was a little stronger now. "Why should you care?" Quinn sat back in her seat trying to look irritated.

"Because it's pretty obvious that you do," Rachel quietly replied. The brunette gestured to Quinn's pale hands clenching her stomach. Quinn was astonished. It was like Rachel had read her mind. No one—and she wasn't exaggerating here—had _ever_ been able to tell her what she was feeling unless she had spit it in their face. And here was Rachel Berry, the girl most opposite of her, telling her _exactly_ how she was feeling inside.

Quinn looked up, ready to shoot an insult at the diva, when she caught the eyes in front of her. Big, concerned, chocolate orbs looking into her mesmerizing hazel eyes. Quinn hadn't realized how close Rachel had been. The blonde could feel the brown eyes searching through her soul, sifting through her feelings, looking for an answer. Quinn would be doing the same, but her brain wasn't functioning and the only thing that filled her mind was the brown beauties staring deep into her.

Rachel wasn't expecting to be so captivated by the hazel eyes in front of her. But she couldn't tear her gaze away from the oculars that held her captive. They were hypnotizing, really. And much deeper than she thought they would be. Rachel attempted to look deep into Quinn's eyes. Your eyes are the window to your soul, aren't they? But as Rachel gazed, she realized that there was much more depth than was expected from the blonde cheerleader.

Without even thinking, Rachel let her tongue flick out to wet her lower lip. As she did this, she saw Quinn's eyes get noticeably darker. Rachel could feel her cheeks getting warm. Embarrassed, Rachel reluctantly tore her eyes from Quinn's, snapping them both out of their trance. Quinn slowly got to her feet and walked to the door, careful not to trip again.

Right before she walked through the doorway, Quinn turned around and took one last look at the brunette, hoping to catch a glimpse of her eyes one more time, if even from a distance. Instead, she saw Rachel collecting her books off the floor with her head bent towards the ground. She was even humming an unfamiliar tune, now, probably from one of the millions of Broadway shows she'd seen. Quinn smirked and shook her head. Why would Rachel feel even a fraction of the thing that Quinn was feeling right now? They'd been enemies since freshmen year when Quinn had ridiculed her wardrobe, which consisted of argyle, knee high socks, and Mary Janes; and it still does.

'Some things never change,' Quinn thought to herself. And this interaction between them wouldn't change anything either.

**Please review, and please review honestly! I need tips from my fellow authors. And should I continue? **


	2. Chapter 2

Quinn walked out into the hall, her head spinning. What had just happened in there? She overviewed the previous events that had her brain buzzing.

First, Berry had dropped all her sheet music. Quinn smirked. Of course, Berry would carry around a pink binder filled with random music and ideas that would constantly be presented in glee club, but never put into action. God, she was so…persistent! She just never gave up. Quinn's mind wandered…would she give up on what had just happened? She shook her head, trying to get the order of events back into place.

Then, Finn had helped the pint sized diva pick her music up off the floor. Quinn sighed internally. Finn had liked Berry ever since he had joined glee—without her. She remembered her disbelief when she had seen Finn sing on stage with the rest of the mismatched club members. Quinn might've kept her composure, but on the inside, she had been fuming. She had a reputation to uphold! And a singing boyfriend wasn't going to make her status a good one.

Since Berry had been there, Quinn decided now was the right time to try to tell her to back off of Finn. But then…she had tripped…and landed right on her stomach. This made Quinn feel sick inside.

_"Was it the…the baby?" _

_"I…don't know." _

_"I hope not."_

_"I do."_

She really hadn't meant to say it. Quinn actually cared what happened to the growing seed inside her. As much as she hated being pregnant, she found that she had some sort of connection with her unborn child. She did care what happened to it. And Quinn sincerely hoped the previous pain in her stomach wasn't because of the baby. No one could even guess that the head cheerleader would be so concerned, but Berry had seen right through her.

The pint sized diva had read her mind. Well, Berry wasn't exactly an oracle, but no one ever knew how Quinn was feeling; even when she was being blatantly obvious about it. Now she felt even more isolated. Nobody could begin to know how she felt. Yet Berry had pinpointed her exact emotions. Quinn's exact opposite knew precisely what emotions were swirling around inside of Quinn. And of all people! Quinn wouldn't have been surprised if it had been Mr. Schue or even Santana. But Berry? Not even the greatest psychic could've seen that one coming.

Quinn could've stood up and walked away, but instead she had to look RIGHT into the girl's eyes. Her big, brown, soulful, captivating, eyes. That was where Quinn was confused. She never would've expected to have been so enamored by Berry's peepers. Sure, she'd seen the brunette's eyes millions of times before, but nothing like that.

"QUINN!"

Quinn jumped at the sound of Santana calling her name. She turned to see the Latina a few lockers away from her, looking exasperated.

When Santana saw she had Quinn's attention, she rolled her eyes. "Distracted much? Coach Sylvester wants us in her office. Now." Santana sauntered down the hall, hands on her hips, acting like she owned the place. Quinn sighed at Santana's arrogance, and then reluctantly made her way to the coach's office.

XXXXX

Quinn sat in between Brittany and Santana, attempting to look absorbed as she listened to yet another repetitive speech from Ms. Sylvester about her efforts to annihilate the glee club. The glee club would never be toppled from its very small, but existent, pedestal that they held themselves on. There were too many divas in that room to let all that go…especially a certain brunette… Quinn couldn't understand why Ms. Sylvester can't just accept the fact that glee club was here to stay.

Quinn snapped to attention when she heard her name.

"Quinn. Update. Go," Ms. Sylvester demanded.

"The minority students don't feel like they're being heard," Quinn said automatically. She didn't notice Santana's eyes dart to the ground.

"Ah, a chink in the armor, huh?" Ms. Sylvester said. "I am going to create an environment so toxic no one will want to be a part of that club; like the time I sold my house to nice young couple and I salted the earth in the backyard so nothing living could grow there for a hundred years. And do you know why I did that?" None of the cheerleaders answered. Although they'd been Cheerios for two years now, they would never fully understand the coach. "Because they tried to get me to pay their closing costs."

Quinn nodded, still a little bewildered at how a teacher could be so malevolent.

"You three are my spies," Ms. Sylvester continued. "Don't forget that. Now, get out of my office."

The three girls obediently conformed, and walked out of the office.

As soon as they were out in the hall, Quinn hurried to her next class, which she was sure she was going to be late to; and she did NOT need that going on record. Just because her body was struggling doesn't mean her grades had to be.

XXXXX

When Quinn got home, there was a letter in the mail addressed to her; her first scan was due. She had known it was only a matter of time before one of these showed up. Thankfully, her parents weren't home yet, so she was able to hastily hide the letter under her bed, along with all her sheet music. If anyone asked, she'd deny it, but Quinn really did love singing. She would never admit that to anyone, especially her parents, which is why the corner under her bed was stacked three inches deep with sheet music. Some she had printed off various websites and the some was from glee. But, no one knew how she truly felt about singing and glee club. Right now, it was the only thing that kept her going.

XXXXX

The next day, Quinn found Finn standing outside his locker, looking jaded as always. She walked up to him, trying to look confident.

"Hey Finn," Quinn greeted him. He looked over at the blonde and nodded in acknowledgment with his signature thoughtless smile on his face. Quinn decided not to beat around the bush and just plunge ahead. "My first scan is due. 4:00. Wednesday afternoon. Don't be late." She ignored the shocked expression gracing Finn's face and turned around and walked down the hall.

As Quinn passed the bathroom, she saw a certain brunette covered in blue slush hurry through the door. Quinn's first instinct was to keep walking. In normal circumstances, she would have. But just yesterday Berry had helped her through a rough time. Now it was her turn. Quinn sighed and reluctantly pushed open the bathroom door.

Berry was standing at the sink, dabbing her eyes. Quinn couldn't tell if she was crying, or just trying to get the corn syrup out of her eyes. Most likely both, Quinn guessed.

"Hey," she said softly. The brunette whipped around, looking startled. She had definitely been crying. Her eyes were red and there were tracks in the slushy that had covered her face in a blue mask.

"Quinn," the blue diva remarked. She tried to keep her composure, wiping away slush as she talked. "Hello. I'm sorry you have to see me in such a disheveled state. You can probably presume where this blue mess came from. If it were up to me, the slushy machine would be dropped from the loftiest of heights. Its presence in the lunchroom only gives people more freedom to mock me with icy humiliation." The brunette promptly turned back toward the mirror and continued wiping her cheekbones. But standing to the side of Rachel only gave Quinn a clearer view of seeing fresh tears spilling over the tops of her eyelids.

"Rachel…" Quinn tried. She didn't exactly know how to comfort the dejected girl; she'd never really been in this position before.

Rachel's head snapped up to look at Quinn in the mirror. "You just called me Rachel," she stated.

"That's your name, isn't it?" Quinn replied.

After a few seconds of contemplating, Rachel said, "Yes. It is my name. Thank you for finally acknowledging that I actually have one that isn't from the assortment of diminutives you have for me." Quinn felt a dagger of guilt pierce through her heart.

"Yeah…" the blonde began, not really sure of what words were coming out of her mouth. "I'm sorry about that."

Rachel widened her eyes in mock surprise. "Did I just hear what I think I heard? Has Quinn Fabray, the queen of the kingdom, actually apologized to me, Rachel Berry, just a lowly peasant in the village?"

Quinn smiled and lightly hit Rachel on the arm. "Yeah, I guess I just did," she replied. Then her smile dropped and she said in a sardonically serious tone: "Accept my gracious gift, Ms. Berry, or I may have to take it back."

Rachel's smile slipped from her face.

"I'm kidding!" Quinn assured her hurriedly. Rachel averted her eyes back to her own face where she was attempting to clean a large chunk of ice out of her eyelashes without poking herself in the eye. Quinn felt awkward standing there, watching Rachel clean herself off. She grabbed a couple of paper towels out of the metal dispenser and began to wash off the blue slushy that was melting into her sweater.

"Oh, you don't have to help me," Rachel said quickly. "I've had tons of practice at this."

The blonde smirked. "I'm not just going to stand here and watch you clean blue slushy off of your face," she responded.

Rachel smiled, glancing up to catch Quinn's eye. Before they could have another moment like they did in the choir room, the cheerleader made herself busy rubbing out a stain on Rachel's shoulder. But she had looked in the brunette's eyes long enough to read the message she was trying to send: thank you.

"So," Quinn began. "Do your dads know?"

"About the fact that every day in this school is an embarrassment?" Rachel guessed. "That I have no friends? That I'm ridiculed every single day of my life just because I'm being myself? That I spend at least one period every other day washing dye and corn syrup out of my hair?" Fresh tears started to fall from her brown eyes again. "No, they don't."

Quinn felt extremely guilty. She hadn't meant to make her cry. She desperately tried to console the now weeping brunette. "Rachel, I'm sorry…" Quinn tried. "I didn't mean to make you cry. I-I'm sorry…Rachel?"

Rachel sucked in a huge breath and wiped away her tears. "You don't have to be sorry Quinn," she said. "It's not your fault that people are narrow minded. That's just the way the world works."

"That isn't right," Quinn softly replied. Then she realized what a hypocrite she was. Just yesterday, she had called Rachel "Man Hands" right to her face. "I'm so sorry if I ever made you feel that way." Quinn didn't know if it was the colossal wave of guilt washing over her, or the extra sensitivity her pregnancy had given her; she just knew that she wanted to take back anything bad she'd ever said to Rachel.

The brown eyed girl managed a small smile and continued to clean the offending slushy off of her forehead. Quinn skipped her next class, knowing the consequences. Instead, she stayed with Rachel in the girls' bathroom, scrubbing stains out of her ruined sweater. Quinn made bad jokes, and got Rachel smiling again. The blonde had never known how affective Rachel's grin could be until it was directed straight at her.

When the two girls left the bathroom, both of them felt happier than they had in days. Rachel and Quinn mutually felt the need to see each other again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for all the positive feedback! This would have been uploaded a while ago but my computer got screwed up as soon as I started writing this so... Enjoy! If you can! **

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Glee.**

"I'm freaking out," Quinn admitted to Finn. She hadn't told her boyfriend that she had fallen on her stomach, and that was the REAL reason she was freaking out. What if her baby wasn't OK? Quinn desperately wanted to let go of his greasy hand, but she needed some kind of support in this situation.

"Everything's going to be fine," Finn reassured the blonde. He squeezed her hand tighter, trying to comfort Quinn.

"Relax," the doctor soothed the couple. "At your age, there is very little chance of anything being wrong." Quinn breathed a huge sigh of relief. Her baby was going to be alright. "This is going to be a little cool to the touch," Dr. Chin warned as she applied gel to the scanning device.

As the doctor moved the machine towards Quinn's stomach, the cheerleader said, "Can you just be careful with my uniform?" She was sure Ms. Sylvester would murder her if she got the slightest of stains on her immaculate uniform.

Dr. Chin raised her eyebrows and turned her eyes toward the screen. "Speaking of your ages, have you two given any thought into what you're going to do after the baby is born?" she inquired.

Before Quinn could tell her to stay out of their business, Finn spoke up. "Whatever Quinn wants to do is fine." The blonde averted her eyes from the screen once she saw a black and white image pop up on it. She didn't want to see her baby, knowing that she would have to give it up sooner or later.

"Well," the doctor began. "If it makes a difference, it's a girl." Finn kissed Quinn's hand; the blonde tried to slip her hand out of his, but his grip was too tight. Finn shifted his hand, and she was suddenly reminded of a moment with Rachel in the bathroom.

Thinking of the petite diva made Quinn relax, and she felt much calmer sitting in the sterile office. She imagined it was Rachel's firm grip that she had experienced in the bathroom; not her lanky boyfriend's. However, it was quite difficult to compare Rachel's soft skin to Finn's calloused palm. Still, just thinking of the brunette was making her breathing easier.

"_Are you scared of what will happen when our classmates find out about your condition?" Rachel asked._

"_No," Quinn answered immediately. Rachel looked at her in the mirror almost as if to say, "Really?". Quinn broke under her stern gaze. "Yes," she whispered. _

_Rachel sympathetically placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder. Her hand unexpectedly traveled down Quinn's arm and stopped at her wrist. Quinn shivered at the soft skin that was wandering down her bare arm. Rachel tentatively placed her fingertips in the middle of Quinn's palm. She waited a couple of seconds before firmly grasping the cheerleader's hand and turning to look into her hazel eyes._

"_We won't judge you," the brunette stated, referring to her and the glee club. "You can be yourself around us. You don't need to worry when you're in that choir room. You're safe." _

"_I know," Quinn responded. They stayed like that for a while; hand in hand. Quinn found that her breathing was slowing, and any stress in her mind was fading. For the first time in weeks, she was calm. It felt like there were no worries; just her and Rachel in the girls' bathroom. Never would she have thought this situation could even be a ghost of a possibility in Quinn's mind, yet here she was, her hand wrapped in Rachel's. _

However, when Dr. Chin asked Finn to leave, Quinn tensed up again. At first, she thought it was because her hand was now limply hanging off the side of the chair instead of firmly in Rachel's imaginary hold. But then the cheerleader realized it was the fact that he was going to be sitting with Mr. Schuester in the waiting room. Then Quinn felt anger rise up in her. She hadn't asked Mr. Schue to drive them to the OB/GYN. In fact, she preferred that nobody else got involved with her life. She wished people would just keep their noses out of her business. Finn claimed he was too freaked out to drive…but _he_ wasn't pregnant! Why would he be too nervous to drive 4 blocks? Quinn knew Mr. Schue was just trying to help the couple, but at the time, she hadn't cared. Now she regretted her reaction; she had blown up at her glee teacher.

_Quinn heard a horn honk outside. She opened the door and looked out onto the street where a blue Bomber dragging a muffler sat on the road. She wrinkled her brow in confusion. There was Finn, sitting in the front seat…but that definitely wasn't his car. The window was rolled down and then Quinn saw who was sitting in the driver's seat; Mr. Schue. The blonde advanced down the front steps and marched up to the front window, fuming. _

"_Hey Quinn," Finn greeted her._

"_Why is Mr. Schue in the car?" Quinn demanded. _

_Finn looked flustered. "I, uh, well, um…" he tried to answer. _

"_I told _you_ to pick me up," Quinn went on. "Not Mr. Schue. This is our situation, not anyone else's. Why do you have to get other people involved in our problems?"_

"_Quinn," the teacher began. "I just want to help. You kids can't do this all on your own."_

"_Mr. Schuester," Quinn interjected. "I appreciate your concern but this is our"—she gestured to Finn—"problem. Not yours. Finn is perfectly capable of taking us to the doctor all on his own." _

"_Actually," Finn protested. "I'm kinda freaking out. I don't think it would be safe for me to drive." _

_The blonde rolled her eyes. "Oh please! It's not safe for you to be trying to dance in glee club either, but that doesn't stop you." _

"_Quinn," Mr. Schue tried. _

"_NO!" Quinn yelled. "Finn's being immature; you don't have to try and cover for him."_

"_I'm not trying to cover for anyone," the teacher said. "I'm just trying to help you guys out."_

"_Well don't!" Quinn shot back. "We don't need your help. We don't need anyone's help. We're just fine on our own. Mr. Schuester, please let Finn take care of our little mistake." When those last words were spoken, she wanted to slap herself across the face. Lately, words had come spilling out of her mouth without her even knowing what she was saying. _

"_Can I talk to you for a minute?" Finn asked. He opened the door and led her to the other end of the car without waiting for an answer. _

"_What?" Quinn snapped. _

"_Can you just…I don't know…" the tall teen began. "Chill out a little? Mr. Schue is just doing us a favor. You could be a _little_ grateful, you know." _

_How dare he talk to her like that! "Oh sure," Quinn replied. "Should I also be grateful that I'm the new poster child for 'Sixteen and Pregnant'?" _

"_Um…Quinn? Finn?" Mr. Schuester called from the car. "We're gonna be late if we don't get going now." The blonde shot an icy glare at Finn and wrenched the car door open. The ride to the doctor's office was silent and awkward. The tension in the atmosphere was like a blanket smothering the three people sitting together. As soon as Mr. Schue had parked the car, Quinn had jumped out of the rusty vehicle and was marching huffily into the building. _

"Alright, you're good to go." The doctor interrupted Quinn's thoughts. The blonde hopped down from the chair and opened the door. She glanced at Finn and Mr. Schue sitting in the waiting room, deep in conversation. She caught Finn's words as she walked toward the door.

"It's cool, Mr. Schue. You wouldn't understand," Finn remarked.

Quinn frowned. What wouldn't he understand? Having a pregnant girlfriend? His wife is pregnant...or so he thought she was. Quinn was reluctant to give up her baby, especially to someone as deceiving as Terri, but she knew it was for the best. At least her baby would have a good father figure instead of a senseless quarterback or a conceited jock with a Mohawk. And she knew her daughter would be in good hands. Mr. Schue would be a terrific father.

Finn rounded the corner and pulled the waiting blonde into a hug that could've crushed her ribs. She pulled back, and he held her at arm's length.

"Hey; everything's going to be OK," he reassured Quinn. Mr. Schue appeared next to Finn and gave the couple a small smile.

XXXXX

After Quinn stepped out of the car, she turned back to the man in the driver's seat and apologized. "Mr. Schuester?" Quinn began. He turned his head to look at the blonde. "I-I'm sorry for…blowing up at you before. I know you're just trying to help."

"Don't worry about it Quinn," the teacher replied. "It's fine. Have a good day, OK?"

Quinn managed a small smile and nodded in response. She turned on her heel and walked back up to her house, not even bothering to say good-bye to Finn. Once she was inside her home, she shut the door behind her, leaning up against it. Quinn shut her eyes and breathed slowly through her nose. All she wanted to do was go up to her room, turn off the lights, and take a good, long, nap.

"Quinnie!" The exclamation shook Quinn out of her thoughts and her eyes snapped open. There was her mother, bright as always, clad in a yellow sweater and a white skirt that reached her knees. "What are you doing home so late?" her mother asked.

"Um…Cheerios practice," Quinn responded quickly. Her mother blinked, but the smile plastered on her face didn't falter.

"Oh," her mother whispered. "Well, that's OK. Cheerleading is a good reason for being home so late. You just had me worried, that's all."

"I'm sorry I didn't call. It was a tough practice today. There wasn't much break time," Quinn explained. The corners of her mother's mouth rose impossibly higher and Quinn desperately felt the need to run out from under her mom's blank gaze. She knew exactly what that empty stare meant. Her mom had been drinking. Again. "I'm, uh, gonna go to my room," Quinn said. She unattached herself from the door and sprinted past the blonde woman standing in the foyer. She pounded up the stairs and ran down the hall to her blue room. Breathless, she slammed her door shut, trying to drown out the tinkling of liquor being poured into a glass.

XXXXX

When Quinn walked into the kitchen the next morning, she had the displeasure of spotting an empty scotch bottle on the countertop. Her heart sank to the bottom of her stomach. Although it was far too early for school, she grabbed a granola bar and headed out to her car, tears in her eyes.

A few minutes later, Quinn found herself walking through the empty halls of McKinley, not exactly sure where she was headed. Lost in her thoughts, she could barely hear the beautiful voice wafting from the classroom just a couple of feet away from the cheerleader.

"What the…?" Quinn wondered out loud. She peeked through the window of the seemingly empty choir room and smirked. There was a small brunette standing in the middle of the room, belting out high note after high note. Quinn didn't recognize the song, but assumed it was definitely from the Great White Way. The blonde slowly turned the handle, and stealthily slipped into the room. Rachel was much too caught up in her song to notice anything else.

Quinn admired the way Rachel's voice easily poured out of her throat; her voice was a racehorse. Extremely powerful, yet so controlled it was almost as if she was roping in her voice when it got too wild. Quinn marveled at the emotion that was pulsating throughout the lyrics. Rachel was putting her all into the song being performed in front of an invisible audience. Quinn could hear the ache in her voice as she hit the last note. She held it out until she was completely breathless. Once the brunette finally dropped the tone, she spent a few moments catching her breath and then nodded to herself as if her performance was just satisfactory. Rachel turned back to the piano to collect her music and caught sight of the blonde pressed against the wall next to the door.

"Hi," Quinn said meekly.

Rachel smiled and tucked a lock of brown hair behind her ear. "Good morning Quinn," she greeted. "Why are you here so early? You must be wondering the same thing; I've been here for about an hour now, attempting to perfect the song I've been working on since early childhood. You would think I'd be able to sing it effortlessly by now, but we can't all be flawless." Her eyes ducked down and then shot back up at Quinn, who was staring at Rachel, her hazel eyes boring into the brunette.

Quinn had never really appreciated how gorgeous Rachel was. But now, the early morning light was pouring in through the window behind her, forming a halo around her chocolate mane. It made her brown eyes seem impossibly dark and soulful. The light shone behind her, outlining the silhouette of her tiny frame. Quinn could see very curve, every shape of her body. Rachel's pink lips quirked into a smile; her bright white teeth glowing against her tan skin.

"Quinn?" Rachel whispered, shaking the blonde out of her reverie. "Are you…OK?"

"Yeah. Yes. Of course. Why?" Quinn hurriedly replied.

"No particular reason," Rachel said. "But usually you're quick to answer questions…even mine."

"Did you ask a question?" Quinn inquired. The brunette giggled and walked over to the cheerleader, who was still pressed against the wall. She wanted to try something. Rachel gently touched Quinn's fingertips, trying to see if she would pull back in disgust, or let the action continue, like the other day. When Rachel was sure that Quinn wasn't going to recoil, she lightly wrapped her fingers around the blonde's hand.

Quinn's breath caught in her throat as Rachel's soft hand slipped into hers. The familiar calm that she had felt in the bathroom settled over the blonde, releasing the tension from her entire body. The brunette gently tugged Quinn's arm and led her to the empty chairs on the risers. Rachel released the blonde's hand and sat down on the closest seat; she gestured for Quinn to do the same.

As Quinn sat down, Rachel asked her, "So, to repeat the question you obviously didn't hear; why are you in school so early?"

Quinn quickly averted her eyes and shifted in her seat. "Um… Just some…issues at home."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Rachel quietly asked. She saw the look on Quinn's face and quickly tried to take back her words. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so intrusive. I know not many people are comfortable discussing the trouble that's brewing at home."

And once again, Quinn started talking without knowing what she was saying. "It's just that…my mom has a bit of a drinking problem. Whenever she's worried or stressed she breaks out the liquor. I actually think it was my dad who influenced her to drown her worries in a bottle. He's an alcoholic and I think it rubbed off on her somehow. I'm just afraid that if my mom finds out about my…um"—Quinn cleared her throat uncomfortably—"condition, that she'll just lose herself in the alcohol. I can't have her finding out."

"She won't," Rachel quickly reassured the blonde.

Tears sprang to Quinn's eyes. "I think she already does," she whispered. Rachel looked at her with inquiring eyes. "Yesterday, I had my 10 week ultrasound, and when I came home, I…I just knew she'd been drinking."

Rachel had deflated a bit from the mention of the ultrasound, but she quickly regained her composure and tried to console the blonde. "I'm so sorry Quinn," she said. "That must be terrible. Knowing that your parent has a problem and having to worry that your situation will only put recovery farther into the future…I can't even begin to imagine the pain you're in."

Quinn smirked. "No one does," she said under her breath. Rachel pretended to ignore what Quinn had just uttered and turned to face the black piano in the middle of the room.

"I'm sorry about your dilemma Quinn," Rachel began. "But, you still haven't answered my query. Why are you here so early?"

"Well," Quinn started tentatively. "I came downstairs this morning and…and there was an empty bottle in the kitchen." Quinn tried to swallow down her tears. "And I just couldn't take it anymore." Her voice cracked, and she knew that if she looked at Rachel, she would break down sobbing.

"So you came here," Rachel concluded. "You came here to let out your feelings in the safest place in the school. The place where, even though you've only been in glee club for a short time, it feels like home. No one can hurt you here,"—she turned to the blonde—"and no one will. And you know that. This became your sanctuary; your peaceful place. I can definitely relate." She offered a small smile.

Quinn sat back in amazement. That was the second time this week that the brunette had read her mind. She wanted to say something back, something that would impress the diva; something that would let her know she was just as observant as Rachel. But all that she could emit was "Um…yeah. That's about right." Quinn wanted to smack herself on the forehead, but she was currently immobile, as Rachel was blinding her with a white smile that dimmed the stars.

The bell rang and both girls jumped. Neither had realized how long they'd been conversing. Rachel blushed, and Quinn admired the way color flooded Rachel's cheeks. The pair stood from their chairs and turned to face one another. The brunette attempted to look deep into Quinn's eyes again, but the blonde had shut herself down. After her revealing admission, she was closing up. Rachel was hurt, but she couldn't understand why. The brunette looked just above her lash line and spoke to her eyelids. "Quinn," Rachel said sternly. "Thank you for being so honest with me. If you EVER need anyone to speak to, I will be here for you. I may not be able to understand your situation exactly, but I will always lend an ear."

"Thanks Rachel," Quinn replied. "Thanks a lot." With a final glance at each other, the two girls walked out opposite doors of the choir room and continued to their respective classrooms.

**I hope you liked it! Reviews are love. (no seriously, I live for them)**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm extremely nervous with this chapter so I hope it's not horrible. First attempt at Brittana (so cut me some slack). Enjoy if you can!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. If I did Quinn and Rachel would be the power couple. Obviously, if I owned Glee, they'd be the power couple. Every Faberry fan's dream! And I think some people who don't even know about Faberry would think it's awesome!**

Rachel briskly walked down the hall, feeling better than she had all week. Quinn Fabray, the head cheerleader, the girl who had dubbed her "Man Hands" back in 9th grade, had just confided in Rachel. Rachel wasn't honored that she now held one of Quinn's darkest secrets in her mind. She was flattered that the blonde had opened up at all. She was very private, and didn't let many people under her tough exterior. Rachel realized that since the discovery of her pregnancy, Quinn had become much more vulnerable. However, she was still reluctant to let anyone in on her personal life. Up until now, Rachel hadn't heard a word about Quinn's parents, let alone their dangerous habit. And she was sure no one else knew, either. During her talk with the blonde, Rachel had found her eyes glued to Quinn. She knew that Quinn had always been beautiful, but she'd never taken it in before. Perhaps it was the glowing light that had washed the room in gold.

Rachel stopped at her locker, thinking back to just a few minutes ago when she had truly seen Quinn for the first time.

_Rachel dropped the note resounding around the room and took a few deep breaths._

'_Good,' she thought, nodding to herself. 'But you can do better, Rachel. You know you can.' The brunette turned towards the piano to collect the sheet music she'd long ago forgotten was there. Instead of heading towards the instrument in the middle of the room, a flash of red caught her eye. Rachel took a second look and saw an angel clad in a Cheerios uniform, pressed against the wall. _

_Quinn's blonde ponytail rested on her pale shoulder, her golden locks glinting in the morning light. A slightly awed expression rested on her face, and her pink lips were quirked in a slight smile. The golden light made her features soft and all the more angelic. Rachel admired the way the Cheerios uniform hugged the blonde's every curve, the short skirt showing off her long, pale, mesmerizing legs. Rachel was transfixed on the goddess in front of her. _

"_Hi," Quinn said lightly. Rachel was snapped out of her trance, and just to make sure she wasn't completely paralyzed in amazement, she slipped a lock of hair behind her ear and smiled gently at the blonde. _

_"Good morning Quinn," she said. "Why are you here so early?" Rachel giggled to herself. She was the one awake at six in the morning. She shouldn't be questioning anyone about their motives for their early arrival at school. "You must be wondering the same thing; I've been here for about an hour now, attempting to perfect the song I've been working on since early childhood. You would think I'd be able to sing it effortlessly by now, but we can't all be flawless." Rachel ducked her head and flicked her brown eyes back up to look at the image that should have been presented next to flawless in the dictionary. Rachel hadn't expected to look up and see Quinn's eyes traveling over her body. The brunette waited a few moments before becoming self- conscious and snapping Quinn out of her trance. _

"_Quinn?" the diva muttered softly. "Are you…OK?" _

"_Yeah. Yes. Of course. Why?" Quinn quickly responded._

_"No particular reason," Rachel said. "But usually you're quick to answer questions…even mine." Quinn was usually very quick to answer inquiries. She had to defend herself and keep the walls she had built around herself from crumbling down. _

_"Did you ask a question?" Quinn asked. Rachel giggled at the adorable blonde and took a risk that no one else in their right mind would have tried. The brunette was one for taking chances; this one she had already taken in the bathroom. But this time, Quinn was allowed a few moments of preparation. Rachel moved toward the cheerleader, slow and steady. She cautiously placed her fingertips on Quinn's. Once she knew that Quinn wasn't going to pull away, Rachel took hold of the soft, supple hand that sent volts of electricity up her arm and through her entire body. Rachel nearly lost her breath at the feel of Quinn's skin against hers._

The brunette slammed her locker closed, prepared to spend the rest of the day fantasizing about Quinn's beautiful features. Instead she was faced with a less than welcome sight behind her locker door, consisting of red frizzy hair and glasses much too small for the pale face in front of her.

"The independent polling company in my dockers has determined you are the hottest girl in the school," Jacob said, with a creepy smile on his face.

Rachel's mind was still in the choir room with Quinn, so it took a moment for Jacob's words to calculate. When they finally managed to get through Rachel's head, she responded with a simple: "Ew." She tried to walk away from Jacob, but he quickly caught up to her and tried to make conversation.

"Have you been reading my blog?" he asked.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Of course not, you're a gossip monger and your blog is nothing but trash and lies; many of them about me," she replied. The brunette continued to march down the hall, trying to escape Jacob.

"Well you'll be happy to know the one I'm working on right now has nothing to do with you or your rumored lust for Jewfros," he said. Rachel scoffed. 'As if,' she thought. "It's about Quinn Fabray," he continued. "Word on the street is she's in trouble."

"Where did you hear that?" Rachel inquired, striving to sound calm and collected.

"Are you denying it?" Jacob challenged.

"Yes," Rachel replied firmly. She turned sharply on her heel and began to walk in the opposite direction. Although the truth was bound to come out within a few months' time, Rachel preferred if that time was prolonged. It would save Quinn so much strain on her already stressful life. 'When did I begin to care for Quinn so much?' Rachel thought.

Rachel was interrupted from her thoughts when she heard Jacob call out behind her. "Because the same birdie told me you're heartbroken that Finn Hudson didn't choose _you_ to carry his litter." The brunette knew he wasn't going to give up, especially now that he had brought up Finn.

Rachel stormed back over to the blogger and snapped, "What is it going to take for you to not the run the story?"

Rachel was shocked when all he asked for was a pair of her panties. She had been expecting much worse. Instead of dwelling on the subject, however, she made plans to go to the mall after school and buy a pair that wasn't similar to the undergarments residing in her top drawer whatsoever.

XXXXX

"Hello losers," Sue announced as she walked into the choir room.

"Sue," Mr. Schuester objected firmly, looking up from his sheet music.

"Is she allowed to talk to us like that?" Mercedes questioned defensively. Quinn's head snapped to see Rachel's reaction to the greeting. She was called enough names by her fellow peers; she didn't teachers adding to the destruction of the brunette's self-esteem. Thankfully, Rachel was looking just as confused as everyone else. 'When did I begin to care about Rachel so much?' Quinn thought to herself. She returned her gaze to Sue.

"No," Mr. Schue said, looking pointedly at the Cheerios' coach. He turned to address the glee club. "Everyone take a seat. Now, it wasn't our original plan, but for Sectionals, both Sue and I are going to direct a different number for you guys, OK?" He was met with disbelieving stares and open mouths. "Now, we're gonna flip a coin to see who gets started first." Sue pulled a coin from her pocket.

"Ladies' choice," Sue declared as she flipped the quarter. "Heads."

Mr. Schue caught the coin in the air and flipped it over onto his hand. "Heads," he said, obviously irritated.

"Awesome," Sue replied, with a sardonic smirk on her face. She pulled out a piece of paper and her glasses. "Alright, the following students have been selected for a special _elite_ glee club called 'Sue's Kids'."

"Hold on," Mr. Schue intervened. "We agreed not to split up the group."

"Aw, come on Will," Sue tried to reason with him. "Give me a chance to do things Sue Sylvester's way. Maybe with my proven leadership abilities, I can help this pathetic group of mouth breathers place at Sectionals."

"We can't even _compete_ in Sectionals if we divide up the club, Sue," Mr. Schue tried again. "It's against the rules." Rachel breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"Really? You need to crack open a book, William." Sue tossed a brown book at the teacher. Mr. Schue caught it just before it hit the piano. "Here," Sue continued. "I have. Show choir rule book. Page 24, provision 14, second addendum."

Mr. Schuester reluctantly turned the pages of the thin book. He rolled his eyes as Sue read out loud the words in front of him. "Twelve members must perform for each team. However, not all members must perform every song." Rachel's gaze darted to the blonde cheerleader across the room. 'What if I'm not included in Quinn's half of the group?' she worried. Rachel felt a wave of confusion overtake her as she tried to imagine why exactly she cared.

Mr. Schue closed the book with a snap and tossed it on the polished black surface of the piano. He held up his hands in defeat. "Fine," he said. "Just go ahead; take all the football players and your Cheerios."

"Alright everybody," Sue began, slipping on her glasses. "Listen up. When you hear your name called, cross over to my side of this black shiny thing."

"It's called a piano, Sue," Mr. Schue said tiredly.

"Santana," Sue started again, louder this time. Santana looked around at the club, smiling proudly. "Wheels." Artie looked up in shock. "Gay kid." Kurt froze in his seat. When no one moved, Sue yelled again, "Come on, move it! Asian." Tina and Mike looked at each other in confusion. "Other Asian. Aretha." Mercedes stood up cautiously. "And Shaft." Matt walked down from the risers to join his other equally as confused glee members. The cheerleading coach then turned on Mr. Schue. "See, Will, I don't want to participate in a group that ignores the needs of minority students."

"You have got to be kidding me!" Mr. Schue protested, leaning across the piano.

"Oh, I wouldn't kid about this, Will," Sue continued. "And maybe that's your problem. Bigotry is no laughing matter."

"And that's how Sue sees it," Santana said sweetly. She held up her hand in the formation of a "C".

The coach turned around and looked at the Latina. "Outstanding." Mr. Schue shook his head in disbelief.

XXXXX

Rachel walked through the mall, clutching the 10 dollar bill she had borrowed from her dads. As she passed the music store, she hesitated, tempted to go in and submerge herself in the safe haven that was the combination of melodies and harmonies. Rachel shook her head and marched past the glossy covers of the CDs and folded her money in half. She gripped the green bills in her hand even tighter as she walked quietly into Frederick's. Rachel glanced around cautiously at the lingerie hanging on the walls. She took a deep breath and walked with her head held high towards the counter at the back of the store.

"Excuse me," the brunette said, trying to sound confident. The platinum blonde sitting behind the counter shifted her gaze from her latest issue of Cosmo, and a sneer crossed her face as she looked over Rachel's apparel.

"Can I help you?" the girl said in a nasally voice.

"Yes," Rachel replied. "I was wondering if there were any articles of…clothing…in this lovely… establishment that cost under 10 dollars." The girl pointed a manicured finger at the clearance rack and turned her attention back to her magazine.

"Thank you for your hospitality," Rachel said coldly. She turned on her heel and marched towards the clearance rack at the front of the store. The diva began shuffling through the lace garments on the hangers in disgust. She wasn't embarrassed about her store of choice or the fact that she was buying panties for a desperate virgin. Instead, Rachel was simply sickened that she had to protect Quinn with her undergarments. Speaking of Quinn… Was Rachel hearing her voice in her head now? The brunette glanced around the seemingly empty store.

"Why does it even matter what color it is?" No, that was definitely Quinn's voice, wafting through the perfume scented air. Rachel slowly looked around the clearance rack and spotted Quinn, Santana, and Brittany standing near a rack of multi-colored bras.

"San, please?" Brittany pleaded.

"No," Santana remarked. She placed her hands on her hips. "I look TERRIBLE in bright pink. I look like a highlighter."

"I think you'll look cute," Brittany tried to reason with the Latina.

"Does it really matter?" Quinn interjected. "It's not going to stay on for that long anyway."

"As much as I hate to admit it, Q's right," Santana agreed after a long silence.

Santana turned bright red as Brittany said, "Yeah…Quinn _is_ right. But I would choose sooner. Maybe we can go to that janitor's closet at the end of 6th period like yesterday!" Quinn stifled a laugh.

Santana turned her crimson face away from the adorable blonde and spotted Rachel lurking behind the clearance rack. "Berry?" Santana's face turned the color of her Cheerios' skirt.

Rachel ducked behind the rack and squeezed her eyes closed, willing herself to turn invisible. Unfortunately, when she opened her eyes, she was faced with bright, blue, inquisitive ones.

"Hi Rachel!" Brittany said enthusiastically.

"Hi Brittany," Rachel replied softly.

"Can you do me a favor?" the blonde asked. "Can you get Ms. Goldfarb out of her classroom sixth period tomorrow? She keeps interrupting us because of all the scream-" Santana ran past the pair, grabbing Brittany's hand as she passed by. They were a blur of red and white as the two headed out the door, Brittany calling, "See you outside, Q!"

Rachel smiled at the couple.

"So." Rachel jumped and turned to see a smile playing across pink lips. "I think that's the last time I go shopping with Santana and Brittany," Quinn joked. Rachel was entranced by the movement of Quinn's lips. They looked so incredibly pink and soft…

"Rachel?" The diva was shaken out of her daze and looked up. Unfortunately, Rachel now found herself drowning in mesmerizing hazel eyes. "Rachel." Quinn's tone was much more urgent now. She grabbed the brunette by the shoulders and shouted, "BERRY!" Rachel dropped her gaze and reluctantly moved out of Quinn's grip.

"H-Hello Quinn," Rachel said shakily. Then she began talking at the speed of sound. "Yes, I fully agree that a shopping trip with Santana and Brittany would be ill-advised, especially if the expedition includes a stop in a lingerie store. As much as we care for them, I doubt anyone would want to be informed of their 'sexcapades'. I would recommend that the next time you are forced to go shopping with Santana and Brittany, that you take separate cars, so that if they have to shop in Frederick's, you can leave them to their discussions and you won't feel obligated to insert your comments into their awkward conversation." Rachel paused and glanced at Quinn. The blonde was wearing a wide smile on her face.

"Well," Quinn began. "I was never forced to go shopping with them, first of all. I used to find our trips entertaining, but now they're just tiring. Brittany and Santana need to come out of the closet already." She clapped her hand over her mouth and shook her head, her blonde hair moving from shoulder to shoulder. "I didn't mean to say that," Quinn whispered.

Rachel giggled at the blush that was quickly spreading over the blonde's face. "Don't worry about it," she said softly. Suddenly, Rachel was at a loss for words.

A beep sounded in the space between the girls and Quinn angrily pulled her cell phone out of her jacket pocket. Quinn glanced at the screen and saw that she had a text message from Santana.

_Q, we gotta go, Brittany wants to leave. _

Quinn sighed heavily and reluctantly said to the brunette, "I have to go. Gotta give Brittany and Santana a ride home. So…see you tomorrow, I guess." Rachel nodded, trying to hide her disappointment at Quinn's departure. The brunette weakly raised her hand in farewell, lightly smiling at the blonde as she walked out of the store.

As Quinn left the store, she took her dreamlike aura with her. Reality came crashing back down on Rachel. She turned around, grabbed a handful of green silk and disgust overtook her once again, as she purchased the panties.

However, all Rachel could think about on the way home was that she had just had a conversation with Quinn surrounded by _lingerie._ Lacy, silky, revealing underwear. Rachel's mind began to wander. As she pulled into her driveway, Rachel was suddenly shaken out of her reverie. She rubbed her eyes trying to clear the thoughts that had previously filled her mind.

"Hey honey," Rachel heard her dad call from the kitchen. The brunette nudged her shoes off her feet and walked into the kitchen.

"Hi daddy!" She tried to sound as innocent as she possibly could, trying to erase any trace of her previous daydreams that might have leaked into her voice.

Her father looked up from his paper and smiled at Rachel. "Did you have a good time with Quinn?" he asked.

The brunette suddenly became alarmed. "What?" she said.

Rachel's dad looked at her strangely. "I said did you have a good time with Finn?" he repeated.

Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, the time we spent together was very productive. His voice is getting better all the time. Although, we did get into a tiff over whether show tunes or classic rock was better. However, seeing as they are two _completely_ different genres, I don't see how they can be compared." The brunette prided herself on her performance.

Her father smiled at her and said, "Rachel, it's OK for people to have their own opinions. Just like you have yours. One too many, might I add." Rachel playfully slugged her dad on the shoulder.

XXXXX

Later that night, Rachel turned the six pages of last year's Thunderclap devoted to the Cheerios, her gaze lingering longer than necessary on a certain blonde cheerleader…

XXXXX

Quinn sat on her bed, giggling at the picture of the Black Student Union in last year's Thunderclap. There was Rachel, hands boldly placed on her hips, her smile lighting up the entire page. Quinn turned the page to the Mock Student Union, and there was Rachel again, beaming up at Quinn. Only this time, she was dressed in a black turtleneck and a grey blazer that made her look adorably innocent.

"Good," Quinn muttered under her breath. "Maybe this will drive those thoughts from my mind."

"What thoughts?" Quinn shut the yearbook with a snap and turned stiffly around to face her father. He smiled at her, but it seemed distant.

"Hi daddy," Quinn said softly. Her father indolently waved a glass of clear liquid in the air as a silent explanation of his aloofness.

"What thoughts?" he repeated.

"It was nothing," Quinn replied hurriedly. "I'm fine…really."

Russell pointed at his daughter. "You're a good girl, Quinn." He smiled lazily and walked sluggishly out her bedroom door.

"Just the best," she said softly to herself, rubbing her stomach.

**Review! Please! So freakin' nervous about this chapter so please be painfully honest!**

**Sorry for rambling in my disclaimer before. Won't happen again. I hope. No promises. **

**Review! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**First, I want to say something about the last chapter. I was in a Frederick's once about 2 years ago. So I completely forgot what it was like in there. Also, when Quinn is looking at Rachel in the yearbook at her Mock Student Union picture...yeah. I didn't mean to say that cuz that club doesn't exist. I think I meant to write the Mock UN Club...or something. **

**I would give you guys an excuse for why this took so long, but I just don't have a good one right now. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. That should be pretty obvious by now.**

**Warning:  
**

Finn bounded into school, immediately using his height to advantage to scour the halls for Rachel. A smile began to form on his face when he spotted the brunette, but promptly dropped when he saw her hand a paper bag to a grinning Jacob Ben-Israel. He must have said something obnoxious because Rachel rolled her eyes and then turned her back on him, walking towards her locker.

Finn weaved clumsily through the crowd of students and halted at Rachel's locker, almost tripping over the petite diva. "Hey," he greeted.

Rachel looked over her shoulder at the tall football player and her annoyed expression seemed to grow stronger for a second before it was replaced with a warm smile. "Hi Finn," she said.

"Um, are you like, a dealer or something?" Finn asked. Once the words came out of his mouth, he shoved his hands into his pockets and looked away, wishing he could melt into a puddle.

Rachel's brow wrinkled in confusion as she shook her head. "Um…no," she said quietly.

"Sorry," Finn began. "It's just…I guess it's not really any of my business but…I saw you giving that Jacob kid a paper bag. What…?"

Rachel's previous annoyed expression graced her face again as she responded heavily, "As you know, Jacob Ben-Israel runs the school blog. Usually, his degrading, _false_ stories he posts are about me." She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Unfortunately he has found a new target."

"Who?" Finn inquired.

Rachel took a deep breath before telling him. "Quinn."

"What?" Finn yelled, his voice a combination of disbelief and anger.

"Don't worry Finn," Rachel said hurriedly. "He's not going to run the story. I handled it."

"What did you have to do to get him to stop?" Finn asked, genuinely curious.

"Let's just say I feel sorry for my dads because they are probably going to have to dip into my college fund to pay for intensive therapy," Rachel replied, slamming her locker shut.

"Whoa, hardcore," Finn commented.

"I don't mind," Rachel said. "I did it to protect you." She had done it to protect Quinn. What did Finn need protection from? The crumbling of his reputation? It had already started to deteriorate when he had joined glee. It was Quinn who needed the bodyguards. It was Quinn who needed the army to fight for her; someone who had so much more to lose than her position on the social ladder.

"And Quinn," Finn added.

"Of course," Rachel said quickly, snapping her head to look suspiciously at the taller teen. Could he read her mind? "We're all teammates." She couldn't have Finn knowing that she never even had him in mind when she agreed to give Jacob a pair of her undergarments.

"Hey. I gotta tell you, you really are awesome," Finn remarked. "I'm gonna make it up to you someday; I swear." Rachel smiled. Despite the fact that Rachel was suddenly and unnervingly attracted to the blonde head cheerleader, she still had lingering feelings for Finn, as much as she hated to admit it. If he thought she was awesome, she wasn't going to let that go—not yet, at least. She smiled warmly at him, and then turned around towards her next class.

"I need another pair."

Rachel swallowed the bile that was rising up in her throat as her previously pleasant vision was intruded upon by the pale faced aforementioned pervert. "What's wrong with the ones I already gave you?" she whispered.

"Uh, they still had the tag on them!" he said far too loud. He reached into his backpack and produced the green panties she had bought just yesterday.

"Put those away!" she whispered sternly.

"I want Rachel Berry panties," Jacob stated. "OK, I expect delivery by tomorrow morning or the story of Quinn Fabray and the stork goes wide. I feel the urge to kiss you right now. I'm just gonna go for it."

"No, no, no, no, no," Rachel reprimanded the boy. "You stop it." Jacob staggered backwards down the hall, shoving the silk underwear back into his bag. Rachel watched him run around the corner of the hallway, disgusted. Her efforts had been wasted. Her plan had been flawed with one tiny mistake. How had Rachel, the perfectionist of her _school_, forgotten the _tag_ of all things? Now Quinn's army had disassembled, and Rachel was the one who had to rebuild it.

XXXXX

Quinn couldn't explain it, but as soon as her hand flew out from underneath her covers to silence her alarm clock, she had felt, well…pissed. Her alarm clock was too loud. School was too early. Her Cheerios uniform was too tight. Her car wouldn't start. By the time Quinn pulled into the school parking lot, she had been pulled over three times for speeding through red lights, once getting a ticket. She knew it would come back later to bite her in the ass, but this morning, she couldn't care less.

Quinn slammed her car door shut and marched across the parking lot. The way she was charging over the pavement, Quinn was almost positive she was wearing down the rubber soles of her Nikes. She stalked onto the empty football field, save for Santana who had Brittany's leg propped up on her shoulder.

"Where the hell is everyone?" Quinn inquired dangerously quiet as she neared the two girls.

"The macadamias are suspended," Brittany replied, looking down sadly. [better joke]

Quinn turned to Santana. "What the fuck is she saying?" she asked.

"They're all on academic suspension," Santana responded, surprisingly calm. Quinn noticed Brittany had that effect on Santana.

"What?" Quinn yelled.

"Yeah," the Latina continued. "Schuester flunked them."

"Why is Brittany still here, then?" Quinn wondered out loud. She knew testing Santana while she was so calm was not the brightest of ideas, but she just couldn't help herself.

"What did you just say?" Santana yelled angrily, her serene spell broken.

"San, it's okay," Brittany interjected, rubbing soothing circles on the infuriated girl's ankle. "Quinn doesn't know that you're a puppeteer." Santana and Quinn exchanged glances before looking at the blonde, completely perplexed. Brittany sighed almost exasperatedly before continuing. "Santana said she pulled some strings to keep me on the squad. Obviously she was playing with puppets." Quinn turned her head, trying to hide the smile spreading across her face and desperately attempted to hold in the laugh that was pushing its way out. "What?" Brittany asked, whose turn it was to be utterly bemused. Santana just shook her head, telling her through her eyes not to ask.

"Q! Here! Now!" Quinn turned to see her cheerleading coach standing next to a short woman scribbling frantically on a notepad. Quinn quickly ran over. "Where are my Cheerios?" Sue demanded to know.

"Coach Sylvester, they're not academically eligible," Quinn explained. "Mr. Schuester flunked them. Her tone implied that Sue should get over the fact that her cheerleaders were dumbasses and find some Cheerios that were actually passing. But, that was not how Quinn's coach would deal with such a disastrous situation.

Sue ripped off her sunglasses and glared at the blonde. Quinn didn't want to know what plan was formulating in her mind this time, and she ignored the coach's stare and turned on her heel, hands placed defiantly on her hips. She knew she would have to pay for turning her back on Sue, but right now, Quinn just didn't have the will to care.

XXXXX

Quinn glared at her Spanish textbook, pencil poised to write on her test, when a folded piece of notebook paper landed on the page. Quinn glanced up at Finn, who was turned sideways in his seat, smiling moronically at her. "What is this?" Quinn whispered furiously. If Mr. Schue caught them talking, she could be off the honor roll.

"Check it out; I came up with the name that I think would be good for the kid," Finn replied.

"Eyes on your own test, Finn," Mr. Schuester called. The lanky teen turned back in his seat and Quinn breathed out a sigh of relief.

Quinn's life had crumbled with one mistake, and she would do anything to build the walls back up again. Finn knew that, but yet he was still insensitive enough to bring up baby names. He knew that she was giving it up. He knew that she was never going to see her child grow up. But he here he was, driving the stake even farther into the ground.

Quinn thought she was in the clear, but then the mindless jock Ronnie sauntered up to Mr. Schue's desk and Finn turned back to a clearly infuriated blonde. "Anyway," Finn continued. "Then I read that Gwyneth Paltrow named her kid Apple, and I think that's so cool 'cause you know how much I love apples, right? And so I figured we should name our kid something more original and poetic. Then I came up with the best baby name of all time: Drizzle."

Quinn quickly opened the note to find a carefully drawn word—"Drizzle"—with a lead cloud hovering over the "i". Quinn shook her head in disbelief.

"Drizzle?" she spit out.

"Yeah, because you know how awesome it is when it's just drizzling outside but it's not really raining, but it smells like rain; but you don't need an umbrella to go outside?" Finn whispered.

"Are you a moron?" Quinn responded.

The senseless smile dropped off of Finn's face as he asked in confusion, "What?"

"We are not naming our baby Drizzle," Quinn declared, crumpling the note in her hand. "We're not naming our baby anything. Finish your test Finn." Suddenly a new hand entered her peripheral vision, snatching up her test. Quinn turned furiously to snap at Brittany, "Give me my test back."

"I just don't understand anything," Brittany whimpered.

"That's not my problem," Quinn retorted, grabbing her test out of her fellow blonde's hands.

When the bell rang, Quinn tore out of the classroom, trying to escape Finn. Unfortunately, his long legs gave him an advantage and caught up with the blonde rather quickly. Quinn turned on him, irate. "You are _so_ insensitive! Bringing up baby names to me when you _know_ I don't want to keep it. I can't keep it."

"I know, but I don't know what you expect me to do about it," Finn answered.

"Not have an opinion?" Quinn scoffed, opening her locker.

"Hey, this is happening to me, too," Finn said defensively.

"No it's not!" Quinn shouted indignantly. "You are not the one whose parents will burn her like a witch if they find out." Her mind had somehow wandered to how Rachel would handle this situation and she wasn't sure if her analogy was about the baby or her newfound feelings for a certain brunette…

"You know, sometimes I wish you were a little more like Rachel," Finn said quietly. He shifted his feet, almost as if he were preparing to run away from the fuming blonde.

"Really?" Quinn asked, turning to face Finn. If someone as dimwitted as Finn wanted his popular head cheerleader girlfriend to be more like Rachel, Quinn must be crushing on the right girl. But was it really a crush? Was it really anything? Or simply jumbled feelings?

"Yeah, she cares about my feelings; she sticks up for me," Finn replied. "She sticks up for both of us. Did you know she gave that Jacob kid a pair of her underpants just to keep him from posting on his blog about you being pregnant?"

A smile spread across the blonde's face. Had Rachel really done that for her? "You think she did that for me?" Quinn asked disbelievingly. And then another reason dawned on her, making the corners of her mouth droop the slightest bit. "Just to be a good teammate."

"Yeah, that's what she told me," Finn answered.

Quinn shook her head. Of course. Why would Rachel want to protect the girl that had tormented her for years? She made her sacrifice to be a good teammate. The team always comes first in the diva's book. Not Quinn. What reason did Rachel have to defend the blonde anyway? All of their debts had been repaid. And there was Finn. It was clearly obvious that Rachel and Finn's feelings for each other were mutual. Rachel would do anything to help out the clueless boy, include sacrificing her own dignity. Finn. The team. Rachel had had no intentions of protecting Quinn.

Quinn felt her heart sinking and a lump forming in her throat. She could feel tears stinging the back of her eyes and decided to make her warning short. "I know some people cheat on their wives or pregnant girlfriends," the blonde said. "Just don't do it with _her_." The last thing she needed was to see Finn and Rachel basking in their corny happiness around her every day. Quinn then turned her back to her befuddled boyfriend and charged towards the only safe haven in the school—the choir room.

XXXXX

Rachel walked down the hallway, a defeated air surrounding her. Even 4 periods after the incident with Jacob, the guilt was still weighing heavily upon her heart. How much more could she do?

Since she had a rare free period, she decided to make good use of the time she had to practice her scales. Rachel cautiously entered through the choir room door, which was surprisingly open. Rachel swiveled her head from side to side, scanning the dimly lit room. When she was positive that there was no one occupying the space, she turned on the rest of the lights and walked over to the piano, setting her books down on the shiny surface of the instrument.

Rachel's mind drifted from the suspiciously open room back to the situation with Jacob. She was one of the most meticulous people in the school and she had forgotten the _tag_. Rachel shook her head, as if trying to empty her head of any and all thoughts of dread. How could she be so absentminded? _'Snap out of this,'_ Rachel thought to herself_. 'Stop being defined by what other people think of you.'_ Her mind wandered towards Jacob. _'Or how they disappoint you.' _Quinn popped up in the front of her mind, pricking the back of her eyes with tears_. 'What is that song about overcoming professional and personal disappointments?'_ Rachel closed her eyes for a few moments before they snapped back open. _'Oh yeah. When you're smiling, when you're smiling the whole world smiles with you.' _

She began to sing under her breath, shuffling through her music. "When you're laughing, when you're laughing, the sun comes shining through," she muttered. Suddenly, a slightly teary voice rang out from the corner of the choir room.

"But when you're crying, you bring on the rain. So stop your sighing; be happy again." Rachel's head shot up, staring in disbelief at the source of the voice. A blonde clad in a Cheerios uniform sat in a chair on the top riser in the corner of the room, her legs tucked under her.

"Qu-Quinn?" Rachel said. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

The cheerleader ignored the brunette's question and unfolded her legs. She stood up a little shakily and continued the song. "Keep on smiling, 'cause when you're smiling, the whole world smiles with you." Rachel's face was stretched into a wide grin as Quinn walked down the risers, looking at the diva through her eyelashes. As Quinn neared Rachel, the brunette's smile faded as she saw Quinn's swollen eyes and the faint ghosts of tear tracks running down her cheeks.

"Quinn," Rachel said softly. Quinn's smile diminished as well when she saw Rachel's concerned expression. "Have you been crying?" Quinn broke her intense gaze and turned her head away, wiping the corner of her eye with the back of her hand.

Rachel studied Quinn's uncharacteristically defeated posture and the unusual vulnerability that was so clear on the blonde's face. "No," Quinn said, almost inaudibly.

"Quinn," Rachel protested with a smile in her voice. She cautiously pulled Quinn's hand down from her face, but her head retained its bowed position. "What's wrong? I know I have no place as a person whom you can confide in, giving previous years' circumstances, but you are aware that I'm always here to catch you if you fall."

This time, Quinn was finally conscious of the words coming out of her mouth. "It's Finn. And the um…the baby." Tears began to well in her hazel eyes again, and her hand flew back to her face to catch any of the rapidly falling moisture. "He brought up…he brought up baby names. He knows I can't keep it, and he knows that that's hard for me to come to terms with, yet he's so insensitive as to bring up _baby names._" Quinn scoffed in disgust.

Rachel's expression of concern had quickly changed to one of repulsion as she took in this latest bit of news. "_Baby names_?" she whispered in disbelief. "That—that insolent, ignorant boy. Who does he think he is? Bringing up baby names. I always knew that Finn was not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, but I never thought he would stoop this low. Baby names. Is he not the _dumbest_ boy you've ever met?"

Quinn gazed at the brunette, a slight smile on her face, signature eyebrow quirk placed delicately on her forehead. "And here I thought you liked him," she said sarcastically.

"Preferences change," Rachel scoffed. She froze as she realized what had just come out of her mouth. "I mean…opinions change. How could I have feelings for someone who is so rude? I don't know who would want to stick around with someone who was so…so…" Rachel trailed off, searching for the right word. "So icky!" Quinn's eyebrow arched impossibly higher at Rachel's abnormal ineloquence. "But I'm here to help _you_, not rage about Finn." Her nose wrinkled adorably at the mention of the tall teen's name.

The sound of Rachel's unhinged jaw closing had Quinn's despondent mood hovering over the two girls again, like a threatening storm cloud. "Do you want to talk about it?" Rachel asked warily, shifting her feet uncomfortably.

"Not really," Quinn answered, her voice cracking. Rachel stretched out her arm hesitantly, and then pulled back.

"I'll always be here if you want to," Rachel stated quietly. She bit her lip nervously, and then extended her arm, placing her hand on the blonde's pale arm. Rachel felt the familiar jolts of electricity shoot up her arm from the feel of Quinn's skin.

As soon as Rachel's hand met Quinn's arm, the cheerleader released the tears she had been holding back. She let out a choked sob, and with the same type of unwaveringness that had been displayed in the choir room when Rachel had picked a hurting Quinn off the floor, the brunette pulled the sobbing girl into a warm embrace, her body pressed against the shaking blonde. The two girls stayed in each other's arms for quite some time, Rachel rubbing circles on Quinn's back, whispering to the crying girl that everything was going to be OK.

Quinn took the opportunity to inhale the aroma of the brunette, which smelled of lavender and citrus fruits. Normally, with the diva, it was just one touch that would calm her down instantly, but with Rachel's entire body flush against hers, she became so serene, that she was almost tired. Quinn closed her eyes, slightly sniffling as she wrapped her arms around Rachel, pulling her impossibly closer.

As Quinn pulled her closer, Rachel sighed contentedly, resting her head on the taller girl's shoulder, breathing in the scent of cinnamon and vanilla. Usually, it was just a touch of the hands or a slight brush of skin that had Rachel's arm feeling numb from electric shock. Now with their bodies melding together, the brunette felt as if she had been electrocuted from head to toe, the electricity spreading and warming her entire body. As she felt the blonde's arms tighten around her back, Rachel pulled away slightly to look Quinn in the eye. "Are you gonna be OK?" she asked quietly, wiping away the tears in the corner of Quinn's hazel eyes with her thumb.

Quinn looked at Rachel, contemplating what to say next. "Do you remember what you said before?" she prompted quietly.

"That I'll always be here for you?" Rachel guessed. "Even though I have no place in your life right now."

Quinn weakly smiled and shook her head. "Before that," Quinn whispered.

Rachel searched the ceiling, as if the answer would be written on the surface above her. Her brown eyes then darted towards her shoes, deciding that the ceiling was an insufficient place to seek answers. Suddenly, her face lit up and she her eyes snapped to meet Quinn's as she said excitedly, "That I would catch you if I fell?" The blonde gave a small nod, not once breaking their gaze. "What about it?" Rachel inquired.

"Catch me," Quinn responded. "I'm falling." Without a word, Quinn lifted the brunette's chin and felt warmth flood throughout her body as their lips met.

**Review! Was their kiss too soon? Please tell me, and, like always, be painfully honest. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Gracias for all the positive feedback! You guys are what keep me updating!**

This chapter is a little shorter than usual, but I decided to make up for the MONTH that I spent writing chapter 5. :P Anyway, this was a really difficult chapter to write, but I somehow got it down in just a few days. :)

This is all fanon. So...

Disclaimer: I don't own Quinn, Rachel, Finn (mentioned...ish), or Russell Fabray.

If you haven't read "Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli, the Cobble's Knot is a huge, grimy ball of string with a year's supply of pizza waiting for its vanquisher. So I don't that either. Or that explanation. All Wikipedia. It might seem irrelevant, but if you don't get it, then my metaphor won't make sense later. :) 

Rachel was caught off guard by the blonde's forward movement, to say the least. She was so shocked that if Quinn's hand hadn't been knotted in her hair, holding her head in place, she would have jumped backwards. Not that having Quinn's lips pressed furiously against her own wasn't enjoyable. The electricity that had come with a brush of the fingertips was replaced by a searing heat reaching from the top of Rachel's head to the tips of her toes. Rachel felt like she was on fire, flames flaring out from where the smoldering kiss was taking place. She leaned willingly in to Quinn's tongue that was stroking softly on Rachel's lip. After a few heated moments, Rachel ran out of air and opened her mouth to an enthusiastic Quinn who eagerly twisted her tongue with the brunette's.

When their tongues met, Rachel suddenly became extremely aware of the situation. She immediately pulled back, Quinn still enthusiastically giving her a tongue bath. "Quinn," Rachel mumbled.

"What?" Quinn protested, blatantly angry at the loss of contact.

Rachel shook her head, stepping out of Quinn's arms, which had completely encircled the brunette. "This is insane," Rachel whispered.

Quinn smiled coyly before saying, "So now we're crazy for wanting to experience passion? And heat?" She had obviously felt the same way Rachel did and placed her hands on the diva's hips, trying to pull her back in for another kiss.

"There's just something wrong with this picture," Rachel said, stepping away from the eager blonde.

"What?" Quinn inquired. "Is it that we're both girls? I couldn't care any less. That's just my father's opinion." She spit out the word 'father' in a hateful tone.

"Is that what you think this is about?" Rachel asked incredulously. Quinn cocked her head in uncertainty. "Quinn, I was raised by two men. Do you think I care who I'm attracted to? Besides, I'm pansexual; it wouldn't matter."

"You're what?" Quinn wondered out loud.

"N-nothing," Rachel said hurriedly. She quickly picked up her books and headed towards the door.

Quinn ran forward and grabbed the brunette's arm before she could go any further. "Rachel," Quinn said firmly.

Rachel clutched her books closer to her chest before dipping her chin down to her chest and whispering, "I'm pansexual."

"I know. I heard you the first time," Quinn said. "What does that mean?" She genuinely wanted to know. Rachel was keeping something from her, and Quinn had bared her soul to the diva one too many times. Pansexual was a term she'd never heard before, and if it was a part of Rachel, she wanted to know more.

Rachel sighed before sitting down on the piano bench. "It means that I'm attracted to a person regardless of gender; I'm magnetized to their personality." Quinn still looked a bit confused, so Rachel summed it up rather bluntly. "It means that I could give a crap about what's in their pants. I care about the type of person they are."

Quinn blushed for a moment but then asked Rachel in a disbelieving voice, "So…you like me for me?"

"Why would I have let you kiss me for such an extended period of time if I didn't?" Rachel said.

Quinn smiled and then turned away. "I guess not," she said to her sneakers. This was the first time anyone had liked Quinn because she was just herself. She was adored because of the presence of a Cheerios uniform on her body. Because of the way people parted like the Red Sea when she walked down the hall. Because of how everyone in the school knew who she was and who was on her arm.

But Rachel, the girl who could read her mind, the girl who sacrificed her dignity to protect her, liked her just because she was herself. It was one of the greatest feelings in the world, but with it came a dreaded ambiance behind it as Quinn remembered what the original subject of the conversation was. "So what is this really about, then?"

"This is about our previous interactions," Rachel explained. Quinn opened her mouth to protest, but the brunette held up a hand and continued. "I acknowledge the fact that you apologized and we have become…acquaintances, but-"

"Acquaintances?" Quinn repeated in shock. She gently placed her index finger on the brunette's lips, reminding of her what had occurred just a few minutes ago. "I think we're a bit more than that."

Rachel's breath caught in her throat, and she watched the milky white finger pull away from her face. Her eyes darted up to look into Quinn's. She smiled lightly when she saw that the hazel beauties were wide open. There was no more closing up or hiding. Quinn was laying it all out on the table; Rachel was getting what she'd always wanted from the blonde: trust. She had only been looking for a friendship, but things had taken an unexpected turn for the better.

Rachel's smile slowly faded and she breathed out, "I…have to go." She quickly got to her feet and hurried towards the door.

"Rachel, wait!" Quinn called. This time, instead of leaping out of her chair, she turned to rip a piece of paper out of her notebook and grabbed the pencil tucked between the pages. "Call me," she said, handing Rachel the scrap of paper. She brushed her lips against the brunette's and sauntered out of the room, her head held high.

Rachel stood absolutely still, the piece of paper clutched in her fingers. She glanced down at the phone number on the page and a smile spread over her face. She quickly bit her lip, not wanting to admit to herself just how many butterflies were fluttering around in her stomach at the moment.

XXXXX

Rachel walked slowly across the parking lot, still in a haze from the searing kiss she had received from the enthusiastic blonde. She could barely walk in a straight line, and cars honked at her from all sides of the parking lot, but she was completely dazed and the noises faded into the background. She was only snapped out of her reverie when she heard a beautifully familiar voice calling out from a car window.

"Rachel!" The brunette turned towards the sound to see Quinn's red Buick pulling up next to her. "Are you walking home?" Quinn asked. Rachel nodded wordlessly. Watching Quinn's moving lips brought her thoughts back to their kiss in the choir room. "Get in."

Rachel blinked once and then said, "What?" Her mind had still been muddled and she had just broken through her cloud of lust.

"You're not walking home," Quinn said firmly. She glanced up at the threatening clouds. "Look at the sky. It's gonna start pouring soon."

Rachel looked up at the gray sky. "I-I guess you're right." Quinn leaned across the seat and opened the passenger door. Rachel smiled gratefully at the blonde and seated herself carefully in the car.

As the car started moving again, Quinn asked, "Do you walk home every day?"

Rachel smiled. "Yes, I do," she replied. "I've been trying to save up for a car, but every time I see a new Idina Menzel CD or a new book by one of my idols that I've just been _dying_ to read, I take a chunk out of my savings. When it comes to the arts, I can be a little impulsive with my money." Rachel became speechless when she glanced over at the grinning cheerleader. Quinn found that she simply adored listening to Rachel talk instead of being extremely irritated by her seemingly mindless rambles. "What?" Rachel inquired.

"You're just…adorable," Quinn answered. Rachel blushed and turned her red face towards the window, a smile plastered on her face. "So, um, where do you live?" Quinn asked.

"You could actually stop right here," Rachel said. Quinn pulled over to the curb, looking out the window at the restaurant they had stopped in front of.

"Rachel…" Quinn began. The brunette turned back to look at Quinn, an inquisitive expression on her face. "I don't know where you live, but I'm almost positive you don't reside in Breadstix. Why exactly are we here?"

Rachel glanced out the window to ensure that there were no passersby. Once she was positive that the parking lot and the street around were completely vacant, she leaned over and planted a kiss on Quinn's lips. The blonde's eyes had barely fluttered closed by the time Rachel pulled away. "So I could do that," Rachel whispered.

"I see you made up your mind," Quinn concluded. She gazed at the brunette her infamous eyebrow quirk already starting to rise.

Rachel nodded affirmatively. "I figure that Finn's devotion goes about as far as his popularity and those infernal drums he bangs on," she said. "Not to mention he has very limited musical taste that doesn't extend past the 80s." Quinn's eyebrow remained quirked on her forehead. Rachel went on to elaborate. "Not many people get chances at finding someone special. I figure that waiting around for someone who's never going to arrive is a futile waste of time."

Quinn stifled a laugh in her hand. "Really?" she questioned. "Because I've always known Finn as one to arrive quite early." Rachel let out a musical laugh and her previous serious expression changed into one of glee as her face split into an ear-to-ear grin. Quinn took extreme pride in drawing that beautiful sound out of the brunette and breathed out, "You are so _cute_." Rachel's laughter died out and she gazed at the blonde, her lips quirked into a small smile.

The silence in the car became slightly uncomfortable, only because both girls knew the feelings that were stirring deep inside were unquestionably mutual. "We, um…we should get going," Quinn said. Rachel nodded wordlessly. "Where do you live?" Quinn inquired.

"Um…" the diva began. Her verbose manner seemed to diminish when she was around the blonde. Quinn smiled as Rachel struggled for words. "24. 24 Haller Street. Yeah. That is…where I live." Rachel turned her head and mentally facepalmed.

XXXXX

"Rachel." The brunette stuck her head back through the open window.

"Yeah?" Instead of responding with words, Quinn leaned forward across the center console and the passenger seat and placed a fiery kiss that lingered far afterwards on Rachel's lips. Her chocolate eyes stayed closed for a minute before they popped open and she hesitantly said, "I really enjoyed this car ride with you, Quinn. I probably shouldn't be asking, but do you think you could give me a ride to school tomorrow?"

"Hell no," Quinn replied sarcastically.

"Oh," Rachel emitted dejectedly. Was this only a one-time thing? The kisses burning with desire? The easy conversation between the two in the confined space of the cheerleader's Buick? Rachel smiled sadly and made to duck out of the car as quickly as possible to hide the tears forming in her eyes.

"Rachel, you _need_ to know how to take a joke," Quinn declared.

Rachel's expression lightened considerably before she said in a much more cheerful tone, "Oh. Good. I guess…I'll see you tomorrow, then." She beamed a blindingly white smile at the blonde before turning around and walking briskly towards her front door. Quinn watched Rachel's rapidly retreating form with a smile on her face until the brunette was safely inside of her own home.

XXXXX

Quinn's house was eerily quiet when she unlocked the door and stepped unconcernedly inside. Usually there would be her mother's voice calling out, "Quinnie?" or, as much as she hated it, the sound of liquid against glass. But today the house was silent. There had been 2 cars in the driveway, so someone must be home.

Suddenly, realization hit like a ton of bricks, a Cobble's Knot tying in the pit of Quinn's stomach. The sickening consciousness that her father was home early combined with the raging baby hormones resulted in a blonde sprinting towards the bathroom, the contents of her stomach fighting its way up her throat.

As Quinn sat next to the toilet bowl, her head resting against the porcelain lid, she heard the voice she'd been dreading as soon as she had realized that the atmosphere at home was not its usual oblivion.

"Is that you Quinn?"

Quinn reached up and grabbed onto the marble countertop of the sink, pulling her aching body up to resemble some sort of regular posture. "Yeah, it's me," Quinn called in a hoarse voice. She cleared her throat before calling out again. "I'm in the bathroom."

Sheer terror overtook her as her father rounded the corner, holding an envelope in his hand. Was it another letter from the doctor? Whatever it was, Russell was livid and his voice was dangerously quiet. "Do you know what this is?" he asked softly. Quinn shook her head, her lips pressed together tightly. Russell continued, his voice cold and low. "This is a letter addressed to one Ms. Quinn Fabray. I decided to take the matter into my own hands and open it for you. It appears that you have gotten a speeding ticket." His lip quirked and when he spoke again, it was a shout that the neighbors must have heard. "I trust you with a _car_, Quinn! This isn't some toy you can play around with!" He threw the envelope at the quaking blonde.

"I-I know," Quinn managed to get out. "I'm sorry!"

"Sorry?" Russell repeated. "Sorry? You think you can just apologize and this will all be okay? You think you can get away with this?"

"No." Quinn was on the verge of tears. She knew exactly was going to occur next in the chain of these horrible events.

"No?" Russell said. "Well, you're right, my dear daughter. I am very seldom lenient when it comes to reward and punishment. And, you, my dear…you deserve punishment."

Next, all Quinn could feel was a blinding, white hot flash across her left cheek. She staggered backwards against the toilet, holding her face.

"You will learn the difference between _right _and _wrong_," Russell yelled through clenched teeth. He grabbed her arm away from her face, his thumb pressing against the pressure point right above her elbow. Black spots began to dance across Quinn's vision as she crumpled into a heap on the floor.

"Daddy," Quinn pleaded almost inaudibly. Tears began to stream down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away. "Daddy, please. Please don't do this again." Russell's foot gradually began to rise off the floor. As it made contact with Quinn's shoulder, she let out one last desperate cry. "Please!"

XXXXX

"Ugh! _Way _too bright," Rachel groaned. She reached for a new cotton ball and the tub of Vaseline. She carefully swiped the cherry red lipstick off of her bottom lip. There was a honk outside and Rachel ran to her window to see Quinn's red car sitting near the curb. She giggled delightedly and hurriedly wiped off the red stains on her top lip. All thoughts of presentable appearances flew out of Rachel's head. She pounded down the stairs, grabbing her backpack at the foot of the stairs and shouting a quick goodbye to her dads.

Rachel had to stop herself from sprinting to the car. She walked in a painfully nonchalant manner until her hand reached the passenger door handle, and nearly wrenched the door off of its hinges.

"Good morning Quinn!" Rachel greeted brightly as she got into the car. When the blonde answered with a mumbled "Hi," Rachel took in the sight of Quinn's choice of clothing for the day.

Her Cheerio skirt still hung on her hips, the flaps so teasingly spread open. Her sneakers were still extremely clean and not a speck of dirt flawed the white shoe. That was where the similarities between today's and yesterday's outfit stopped. Quinn wore a large black sweatshirt, the hood pulled over her blond tresses. The strings were pulled so tight that her normally heart shaped face was oval. A pair of giant black sunglasses covered half of what was visible of her face.

"Quinn, are you…are you alright?" Rachel inquired. She could just make out the girl's head slightly moving from side to side. "Was it Finn again?" The brunette could feel the anger boiling up inside of her chest. But, no, Quinn was just barely shaking her head again. Rachel carefully reached up to touch Quinn's sunglasses, but the cheerleader pulled away. "You have to let me help you," Rachel insisted. "And I can't do that if I can barely see you." She smiled playfully. Quinn moved forward, allowing the diva to remove her tremendous sunglasses. Rachel's smile promptly slipped off her face.

"Oh, Quinn."

**The review button is right there. :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Because of the incredibly ridiculous amount of time it took to write this, I give you all permission to hunt me down and use the Imperius Curse to make me do whatever you want.**

**I also tried to make it up for you by making this the longest chapter yet. Enjoy!**

Rachel gazed at the bruise on Quinn's face in horror. Purple and blue streaks swirled their way downwards from the blond eyebrow to the middle of the once flawless cheek. The right side of her face was about 3 times larger than the opposite side, the swell remaining from the night before. Rachel gently placed her fingertips under Quinn's eye and pale eyelids snapped shut over hazel orbs as the blonde winced in pain.

"Quinn," Rachel whispered. "What happened?" Quinn turned away from Rachel's horrified stare as a tear slid down her left cheek.

"Nothing," Quinn whispered, her eyes slowly opening.

Rachel frowned at the girl as she replied, "I may not have been able to acquire a spot on the honor roll like you, but don't treat me like I'm dense. Obviously, _something_ occurred that resulted in the massive bruise now adorning your features."

Quinn remained turned away from Rachel as the previous single tear was joined by more until her cheeks shone with moisture. "I…can't tell you," Quinn choked out as she turned back towards the brunette and was quickly gathered in the girl's delicate arms.

Rachel tried her best to keep the blonde close across the middle console, stroking her hair and whispering soothing noises into her ear. "You don't have to tell me what happened if you don't want to," Rachel stated.

Quinn pulled away and stared at Rachel through red rimmed eyes and asked disbelievingly, "I don't?" For most of Quinn's life, everyone had pressured her. And her argument became invalid in the eyes of her acquaintances because all of the pressure placed on her shoulders was positive. No one had ever challenged her to take a sniff of cocaine or chug a bottle of Jack Daniels. Any pressure that entered her already chock full life was to ensure that she was retaining her position on honor roll or having a Chastity Ball Queen crown placed on her head. Pressure to stay at the top of the school and keep her position as captain of the Cheerios. Pressure to live her life as the innocent, hardworking Christian girl her parents had raised her as.

Everyone coerced her. From her mother to Santana, there wasn't one person who had tried to impact her decisions or force her into something unwillingly. There was so much pressure that sometimes it felt like an iron weight crushing Quinn into a broken mess second by second. And then Rachel had said those tiny words that were filling Quinn with such warmth that she almost didn't need the heat flooding through the vents in her car. They had erased a small amount of the weight on her shoulders.

Rachel's lips turned up slightly as she replied, "Of course you don't. I can see in your eyes that I shouldn't push any farther."

Quinn furrowed her brow, but the crease in her eyebrow sent a shot of pain through her right cheek and she opted to simply tilt her head inquisitively. "My eyes?"

Rachel nodded, her smile growing. "Your eyes are as expressive as they are captivating," she remarked. "Every time it becomes impossible to communicate verbally, your eyes do it for you. I can see your walls coming up, or your guard letting down its defenses. I can see when you're out of your comfort zone. Or when it's the complete opposite and you have this…this warm look and a certain fondness lights up your eyes…" Rachel trailed off. She had unconsciously raised her hand during her summary of her observations, and her fingers now rested lightly behind Quinn's neck, Rachel's head slightly craned upwards. The blonde bowed her head slightly. Rachel could feel her breaths dusting her lips, but before they went any farther, she pulled back and took hold of Quinn's hand instead. "We should tend to that bruise."

XXXXX

Quinn let out a painful gasp as the ice pack settled on her bruised skin. She shifted it to the side of her face and sighed contentedly at the cold air emanating off the plastic bag.

"No, no," Rachel scolded, walking over to the blonde. "Keep it on your eye. You don't have a bruised temple, now do you?" She gently placed the ice back on Quinn's eye. Rachel's playful smile faltered when she saw the other girl wince at the cold contact.

"Here you go, girls." Rachel's father walked slowly into the kitchen with a white bottle in his hand.

"Thanks Daddy." Rachel took the bottle from his hand and snapped off the cap as her father moved tentatively through the kitchen door. "This is a fast acting hydrating gel that will clear up that bruise very quickly," the brunette explained as she gently dabbed the paste on Quinn's marred cheek.

As Rachel pulled her hand away, Quinn clutched it and stroked her thumb in the girl's palm before gently kissing her knuckle. "Thank you," she whispered. "Not many people would do this sort of thing. And also for not pressing me about the issue."

Rachel smiled fondly. "There are a lot of people who love you, Quinn." The blonde tilted her head to the side, a disbelieving expression written plain on her face. "Stop it," Rachel gently scolded. "You know it's true. I'm not the only person who would care for you."

Quinn smiled affectionately. "We have half an hour until school starts. We should get going…" She reluctantly let Rachel's finger slip out of her grasp and she stood, holding the ice to her eye.

"Please don't take this personally, Quinn," Rachel began. "But your face is not in its most presentable state. I could assist you with returning it back to its flawless nature."

Quinn caught herself in the reflection of the stainless steel refrigerator and a combination of horror and disgust crossed her face. "Work your magic, Rach."

XXXXX

"There," Rachel proclaimed, pulling the brush across Quinn's cheek with a final flourish. The brunette stepped back, a satisfied smile on her lips.

Quinn looked warily into the mirror behind her, and her mouth promptly dropped open. "How the…?"

"My many years in community theater have not only provided me with my acting, singing, and dancing skills; it's also exposed me to the visual part of theater," Rachel replied simply. "You can't let an actress go on stage with a hickey on her neck, now can you?" She smirked, reminiscing privately about an unforgettable performance of _The Sound of Music._

Quinn let her fingers gently graze her cheek, which looked just as it had yesterday before she came home.

"Crap!" Quinn whipped her head around in surprise to find a wide eyed Rachel, a hand clapped over her mouth. The diva seldom used slang, so it came as a shock to the cheerleader when the swear slipped through her lips. "It's just that…" the girl began, sliding her hand away from her face. "We're going to be exceptionally late for school." Rachel bounded through the door, pulling the giggling blonde along with her.

XXXXX

"Why are we stopping?" Rachel inquired frantically. She began to look nervously around the car's interior and glanced outside at the empty stretch of road beside them.

"I don't think we should go…you know…public with this…this thing we have," Quinn responded, refusing to look at Rachel. She didn't want to see the pain reflecting in her deep brown eyes when she confessed her fear of the drastic changes that would occur when they walked through the halls hand in hand. "At least…at least not yet, anyway."

Rachel's eyelids fluttered rapidly as she tried to blink away the hot tears forming. "Oh," she replied, attempting to ignore how her heart plunged to the pit of her stomach. Rachel knew what Quinn was implying: they couldn't be together and most likely never would be due to the ridiculous status quo everyone must follow in high school. She didn't want Quinn to see the fractures in her heart being expressed on her face, so the brunette swiftly opened the door, and all but sprinted from the car.

Rachel walked as quickly as she could towards the school, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other as tears blurred her vision. _How could I be so asinine? _the diva thought to herself. _Quinn has a reputation to uphold; a legacy to leave behind. I'm not part of that. I'd do nothing but destroy her. And she hasn't got much left. I have no place to attempt taking anything else from Quinn, especially for my own selfish reasons. Who was I kidding? I'm not even good enough for Finn Hudson; how could I be worthy of Quinn Fabray? _

Rachel charged through the doors of the school, her jaw clenched in an effort to keep her tears from falling, but to no avail, as they slowly began to roll down her cheeks. Rachel fled through the halls until she reached the choir room.

XXXXX

"Hey I didn't see you this morning," Finn remarked, sitting down next to the songstress.

"I overslept," Rachel answered, praying that Finn wouldn't remember her explanation of her precise morning regime from last week.

A crooked smile crossed Finn's face. "Oh yeah, I do that like, every morning," he stated.

Rachel forced a tight smile and then turned away from the taller teen, not quite believing what she had just heard. She knew teenagers were not known for their tendency to rise with the sun, but surely they must not risk demerits placed on their permanent record just to get a few more minutes of sleep.

Rachel glanced in her compact mirror again to make sure her tear tracks were carefully concealed. She didn't want Quinn to know how she had reacted to her harsh words. Anything that had happened outside of the car was disclosed information, as far as Rachel was concerned. Quinn didn't want to go public with their unidentified situation? Rachel would hint at nothing. She glanced at the blonde standing by the drums out of the corner of her eye, but her attention was suddenly held captive by Puck's voice.

"How long have we been sitting here?" Puck asked the room at large.

"Long enough," Santana said wearily, pulling out her phone. She sighed and returned to stroking Brittany's arm.

Puck began to strum his guitar and he nodded at Finn to join in on the drums. As the beat and the chords flowed together, each glee club member began to smile as they recognized the familiar tune. The club began to sing and soon the unrehearsed "Ride wit Me" by Nelly was echoing throughout the room. Matt danced around Rachel's chair, all negative thoughts flying out of the brunette's head. By the end of the impromptu number, Rachel felt better than she had all morning. "I miss us all being together," she admitted to the room.

"I hope we don't get in trouble for our covert jam session," Artie remarked playfully. Rachel laughed and Quinn looked toward the sound, wistfully remembering just yesterday when she had pulled that beautiful noise out of her.

"If Sue catches us mingling, we're cooked," Kurt warned the room. "She said if she even caught me talking to one of Schue's kids, she'd shave my head. And I just can't rock that look. Even Justin Timberlake is growing his 'fro back."

The laughter that had just been resounding throughout the room died out as Mercedes despondently said, "Well we gotta go, you guys." Through the moans of protest, she continued, "Ms. Sylvester is expecting us in 10 minutes in the dance studio."

Quinn gazed up the risers at Santana and Brittany locked in a tight embrace. She smiled fondly at her two best friends and then glanced at Rachel, only to find the other girl staring at the same subject. Rachel pulled her eyes away from the couple and locked her gaze on Quinn, shrugging as if to say 'That could be us.' The blonde turned away, forcing tears to dry before they fell. She pretended to laugh at something Finn was saying as Rachel turned her attention to Tina.

The room slowly emptied out, leaving "Schue's Kids."

"Alright, great news guys," Mr. Schue announced, grabbing Quinn's attention. "I brought the band with me and I think we have our number for Sectionals."

Rachel heaved a bracing breath, fully prepared for her discourse to be heard. "Mr. Schue," she began. "We don't like what this has become."

"Don't you guys see?" Mr. Schue pointed out. "That is how Sue wants you to feel. Giving up doesn't help anyone but her." Quinn looked up, feeling a bit guilty for assisting in the glee club's demise. "Look, if it was up to me, we would all perform _together_ at Sectionals, but it's not _up_ to me anymore. OK?" He glanced quickly at their faces for understanding before continuing. "Sue's gonna do her song, and we are gonna do _ours_," Mr. Schue stated determinedly.

Rachel glanced pleadingly at Finn, but he just stared back, a crooked smile on his face. She almost turned to look at Quinn, but she didn't want her beseeching message to come across as an emotion she wanted hidden.

"Sue's kids are singing about hate," the teacher declared as he passed out music. "Literally. So, I thought we would take a _kinder_ approach."

Rachel ran over her music quickly, the lyrics carrying a familiar tune in her head.

"Alright," Mr. Schue began, taking a mic stand from the band's area. "Finn and Rachel. Come up here; you're gonna take the leads."

Rachel finally acknowledged the title and gasped. "I _love_ this song! OK, follow my lead," she said, patting Finn's arm.

"Don't wait for me." Finn laughed, following the brunette to the center of the room.

"So much for togetherness," Quinn remarked indignantly. Even if Rachel was ready to hop back on the Finn wagon and leave Quinn in the dust, there was no way the blonde was going to sway in the background while her oblivious boyfriend sang one of the most emotional songs of the year to the girl who had been the thing closest to a savior in her life.

"Guys." Mr. Schuester turned to Finn and Rachel, completely ignoring the cheerleader. "You guys _really_ need to work on this, alright? Night and day, between classes; it has to be letter perfect, OK?"

"You got it, Mr. S." Finn shuffled his feet and music uncomfortably.

"Hit it." Mr. Schue cued the band, and the song began.

Or, as Quinn would later call it, the tsunami.

She glanced over at Brittany several times to see if being a faceless harmonizer in the back had any effect on the simple blonde. There was nothing on her face to indicate that she even comprehended what exactly she was doing. On her left, Puck seemed to be taking it the same way. That was the first wave that hit Quinn. Was she really the only one bothered by her position in the song? The only one just a bit perturbed that in a group where everyone was supposed to feel welcome and accepted, she felt more of an outcast than in any other previous situations?

"_If I should die before I wake, it's 'cause you took my breath away,"_ sang Rachel. At the end of this line, she glanced at Quinn, who was subconsciously gazing intently at the brunette.

And there was the second wave. She was almost positive that miniscule smile and swift glance had been directed at her, but why? What sort of message was Rachel trying to send? She had run out of Quinn's car as if her life had depended on it, and now she was confessing to the blonde that she took her breath away. Quinn shook her head, utterly frustrated. Quinn watched Rachel for the entire performance, trying to see if there would be any more implications as to what was really going on behind that mask.

"_But how do you expect me to live alone with just me? 'Cause my world revolves around you; it's so hard for me to breathe,"_ Rachel sang.

The third wave that doused Quinn wasn't a result of Rachel's poorly attempted subliminal messages. It was the realization that this song was so easily applicable to her situation. It may be melodramatic for Quinn to believe that breathing would be any more difficult without the brunette, but she certainly wasn't exaggerating when she said that she couldn't live without her. In the past few days, Rachel had saved her in nearly every way. She was her shoulder to cry on, her anger management; the person she knew she could turn to. The only thing in Quinn's life that wasn't completely dysfunctional. Rachel balanced the scale.

Quinn was forced to grin and bear it throughout the rest of rehearsal, failing in hiding the anger currently cascading through her body. At the end of the period, she cast a glance at Rachel, catching the diva staring straight at her. Quinn lowered her eyes after a moment of Rachel unsuccessfully trying to send a silent apology.

Rachel watched helplessly as the blonde jogged out of the choir room before she was pulled back to feigning joy as Mr. Schue praised her for the beautiful work in his class.

As Rachel walked out into the hall, a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She turned, expecting to see Finn or even Jacob demanding another bribe. But once she saw the bright blue eyes and curled blonde ponytail, Rachel immediately regretted answering the stranger with an agitated "What?"

"Do you think Quinn is pretty?" Brittany asked bluntly.

Rachel's mouth hung agape for a moment before answering almost as if the words had been pushing to spill out of her mouth for her ages. "She's the most beautiful girl I've ever met." Her heart skipped a beat before she hurriedly added, "I-I have to go, Brittany; I apologize for cutting our conversation short but my next class is on the other side of the school. I'll see you later, though." Rachel smiled sweetly at Brittany before quickening her pace down the hall.

"Quinn thinks you're pretty, too," Rachel heard from behind her. The brunette turned back slowly, her eyes inexplicably welling with tears. She shook her head rapidly. "I doubt that. No one thinks I'm pretty."

"I do."

Rachel blushed. "Thanks, Brittany. I-I really must go now." The cheerleader waved energetically at the flustered songstress. Rachel returned the gesture with a watery smile and then turned the corner, the compliment putting back a piece of her shattered heart.

XXXXX

Brittany sighed contentedly as Santana's hand ran through her hair. The tight ponytail that Sue forced them to wear every day along with their uniforms left the girls' scalps feeling stretched and tense by the end of the day.

"I love your hair," Santana admitted quietly.

Brittany smiled at her in the mirror of the vanity. "Really?"

"Yeah. It's so soft," Santana replied, threading her fingers through the silky blonde locks. On a sudden impulse, the Latina buried her face in Brittany's hair before kissing the top of her head and resting her chin in the blonde's hairline.

Brittany gazed into the brown eyes that had suddenly gone soft and warm reflected in the mirror. Her brow furrowed as she examined Santana's face in the mirror. Where had she seen that look before…? Hazel orbs appeared in her mind and Brittany shot out of the chair, startling her best friend.

"San!" Brittany exclaimed, as if a life-altering revelation had just entered her mind.

"Yeah…?" Santana replied tentatively.

"You look at me like that all the time," Brittany said. "And you don't look at Quinn or anyone else like that, right?"

"Where are you going with this, Britt?" Santana asked, attempting to keep her walls from crumbling.

"Quinn looks at Rachel that way!" the blonde finally managed to get out. She beamed at Santana, obviously wanting to elicit a similar reaction from the brunette.

"What?" Santana choked out disbelievingly. Her mouth dropped open as Brittany went on to say, "Yeah. She looks at her through every glee practice. Do you think they're best friends now, too?"

Brittany watched Santana as she sat down on the bed, trying to process this new information. She could practically see the gears turning behind the tanned skin. Her smile began to fade as Santana became increasingly unresponsive. Finally, there was a sign of life.

Santana settled back against the pillows and linked her hands together behind her head, a sly smirk carved into her face. "Yeah, they might be best friends, too, Britt. Guess we'll have to find out, right?" Brittany's excited smile returned and she joined Santana on the bed.

XXXXX

Santana sank lower in the plush auditorium seat as Mr. Schue entered from the side door.

"Hey guys," he called to the 5 members on the stage. "Sorry I'm late; there was an issue with my class." Santana scoffed quietly. "Probably hooking up with Ms. P. in an empty classroom," she whispered to herself. "You guys ready?" the teacher continued.

"Hit it!" Finn called excitedly. Santana rolled her eyes, but just in time to see Rachel's smile falter a bit as she glanced towards Quinn at the back of the stage. The Latina straightened up and craned her neck to watch for further actions.

As the performance went on, Santana noticed Quinn's glares intensifying when Finn took Rachel's hand and the gazes softening as the brunette pried herself away from his groping hands. She watched Quinn's eyes never leaving the diva's small figure as she moved across the stage.

At the end of the song, Will praised the group on their "letter perfect" performance before Quinn broke through the human barrier that Finn and Rachel formed at the front of the stage. "Excuse me! What about us?" she inquired indignantly. "You expect us to just sway back here like props?" Santana was surprised at Quinn's acting skills; she had been lurking outside the office when Sue demanded that the blonde utter this exact phrase. But was it really acting...? There was a razor sharp edge in her voice that Santana had not heard often.

However, her attention was only momentarily occupied by Quinn's outburst. There was something happening in the background that was far more interesting. Rachel's brown eyes raked quickly down Quinn's body before glancing briefly at Finn. Her eyes then averted back to the floor and relief flooded her expression.

Santana knew that was no once over to memorize the exact shade of red on the Cheerios uniform. She decided to take a leaf out of Berry's book and glanced over to Brittany, internally sighing as she found some decent eye candy in this place. Brittany caught the Latina staring and her lips quirked into a small smile as she subtly wiggled her fingers in a greeting. Santana returned the acknowledgement with a wink and a wide grin. Brittany questioningly jerked her head towards the altercation occurring in center stage. Santana tore her eyes away from her best friend and caught Berry's head swiveling in different directions, looking anywhere but at the still raging Quinn. Santana latched her eyes back onto Brittany's and nodded affirmatively. The two girls shared a secret smile as Will announced, "We're done for today guys, OK?"

XXXXX

Santana felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see her favorite person beaming at her, her bright blue eyes shining. "What did I tell you?" Brittany yelped excitedly.

"You were right," Santana responded, returning the blonde's bright smile. Brittany contentedly leaned against the lockers next to the Latina. "Quinn was checking out Rachel so much, she might as well have been her cashier."

"So what do you wanna do?" Brittany asked.

"Q needs to sort out her priorities," Santana said matter-of-factly. "And I think her two best friends should be the ones to help her do that, don't you think?" Brittany's eyebrows furrowed as Santana walked off, her lips quirked into a devious smirk.

XXXXX

Quinn attempted to shove all 4 of her binders in her locker at once, causing them to slip out of her grasp and onto the floor, papers flying everywhere. "Dammit!" she yelled. Quinn took a bracing breath and then dropped to her knees, gathering the binder's contents as quickly as possible.

She was still worked up about the glee rehearsal she had just left. Visions of Rachel and Finn prancing around the stage kept penetrating the shield she had tried to put up against them. Quinn gritted her teeth as she remembered Rachel insisting that she wasn't interested in Finn anymore. She wasn't going to wait for her prince to come and rescue her. However, it became very clear during that performance that Rachel wasn't ready to give up on him. Between the intimate gazes and the tender touches, Quinn wanted to hit herself for even daring to believe that the brunette would ever truly be with her.

Tears burned her retinas as she gathered the last of her papers. A hand was suddenly held out for her below her chin. At first, Quinn thought it was a sweet gesture, but then the lines and callouses became familiar, and the tears dried instantly. She looked up into Finn's concerned face, and opted to use the metal door to pull herself up, successfully fitting her books into her locker this time.

"Are you OK?" Finn queried warily.

"Do I _look_ like I'm OK?" Quinn snapped, slamming her locker shut.

"Is this about you being stuck in the background for the song?" he guessed. "'Cause if it is, I can talk to Mr. Schue…" Finn trailed off once he saw the look on his girlfriend's face.

"That's exactly what it is, Finn," Quinn replied in as gentle a tone as she could muster. Before he caused her to implode, she stalked off in the opposite direction.

Quinn was nearly sprinting through the hall when a tan arm flew out in front of her, slamming her in the stomach and ceasing her jog. "What the hell Santana!" she yelled furiously.

"Slow down tiger." Santana moved in front of the blonde, her arms now crossed. "We need to have a little chat."

**The review button is right there. :)**

**And angry!Rachel will be showing up soon. I will not forget about that cleverly concealed bruise on Quinn's face or where it came from. Unlike the real writers of Glee who don't know what the meaning of continuity is.**


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